Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Wayne Jakino: A Celebration of Life

Please be sure to come to Charlie's this Sunday to help celebrate the life of Wayne Jakino, the father of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association and a true pillar of Colorado's GLBT community.

The celebration will begin at 2 p.m. and will include the screening of a documentary about the life and times of Wayne Jakino.

The following pictures of Wayne Jakino are courtesy of Out Front Colorado:



BACKYARD TRAGEDY (narrowly averted)

So I was just out in the backyard peeing (does that sound inelegant of me?) when a wasp flew over and came within an inch of landing on my John Thomas. My whole life flashed before my eyes.

Gays unbothered by slow economy

Well, I'm a little bothered. But I guess I'm the only one.

Despite five-year lows in overall consumer confidence numbers, gay Americans report being more optimistic and less concerned about finances than their straight counterparts, according to a recent financial survey of gay Americans.


The survey, conducted online by MergeMedia Group shows 83 percent of respondents feel the gay market is a stronger financial force than ever before.

Read the rest of the report after the jump.

Even in the current economic climate, relatively few gay Americans say they’ll significantly slow purchases of big-ticket items like high-definition televisions, computers and cars.
“This research proves what smart brands already know,” said Dawn Meifert, MergeMedia Group’s chief executive officer. “Gay and lesbian purchasing power cannot be ignored.”
Industry estimates put the total buying power of American gays and lesbians at $780 billion for 2008, and a recent report by economist Lee Badgett and the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation and the Law at UCLA says gay buying power may reach $835 billion by 2011. The Williams Institute also reported, on average, gay men and lesbians earn more than straight men and women.
Gay and lesbian individuals are also twice as likely as their straight counterparts to have an income of $250,000 or greater and hold a financial portfolio of more than $1 million.
The MergeMedia Group survey, conducted in March, asked approximately 500 participants if they felt their finances were more or less stable than their straight friends and family. Only 5 percent said they felt they were more vulnerable to a recession than straight consumers.
“Even if we are in an economic downturn, a GLBT household with two wage earners is still going to have more disposable income than the average heterosexual household,” said Michael Portantino, publisher of the Gay & Lesbian Times. “Think about it – even a less economically fortunate gay or lesbian household is better off economically than a less economically fortunate heterosexual household. Consider the fact most of us do not have kids – that leaves a lot more money to spend on luxury items.”
An recent Associated Press report also said the California Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage may boost the state’s ailing economy.
“The good news for California is that in the face of probably the worst budget problems the state has ever faced, the LGBT wedding industry is going to be a financial shot in the arm,” said Jeffrey Prang, mayor of West Hollywood, a popular destination for gay travelers in Southern California.
A recent study issued by the Williams Institute projected that gay men and lesbians will spend $684 million on cakes, photographers and other services over the next three years unless voters reverse the high court’s ruling in the fall.
The researchers found that about half of the state’s more than 100,000 same-sex couples will get married during the next three years, and an additional 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel to California to exchange vows. The study estimated that over that period, same-sex weddings will generate $64 million in tax revenue for the state, $9 million in marriage-license fees for counties, and some 2,200 jobs.
The possibility that the window for weddings could close after the November election – when a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage will appear on the ballot – has added to the rush to wed. Also, the prospect of getting hitched in a hurry became even more inviting when New York state announced recently that it would recognize same-sex marriages performed in California and other jurisdictions.
Unlike Massachusetts, the only other state where same-sex couples can wed, California does not have a residency requirement for marriage licenses.
“I hope that California’s economy is booming because everyone is going to come here and get married,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the California Chamber of Commerce.

What do you say? Has the economy got you concerned?

Books: The Circus 1870-1950


During its heyday one hundred years ago, the American circus was the largest show-biz industry the world had ever seen. From the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, traveling American circuses performed for audiences of up to 14,000 per show, employed as many as 1,600 men and women, and crisscrossed the country on 20,000 miles of railroad in one season alone. The spectacle of death-defying daredevils, strapping super-heroes and scantily-clad starlets, fearless animal trainers, and startling freaks gripped the American imagination, outshining theater, vaudeville, comedy, and minstrel shows of its day, and ultimately paved the way for film and television to take root in the modern era. Long before the Beat generation made "on the road" expeditions popular, the circus personified the experience and offered many young Americans the dream of adventure, reinvention, and excitement. See it all in 'The Circus 1870-1950', available only at
Taschen.com.












* click to embiggen

Are you gay?

This video will make you question everything you ever thought you knew to be true. Ok, no it won't, but it is kind of funny.

Gay Test - Watch more free videos

Monday, July 28, 2008

Democratic Pride Proclamation


This is kind of old news at this point but it's the first time I've come across it and the message is still an important one:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today joined Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank and Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin in issuing the following Proclamation marking PRIDE Month:

"Today, on behalf of Democrats across America, we join together in celebrating the contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans and their families make to our society and reaffirm our Party's commitment to promoting full equality under the law for every American.

"As leaders of the Democratic Party, we stand proudly with the LGBT community and commit ourselves to working together to build an America that is truly inclusive. Every American has the right to live in dignity, with equal rights, responsibilities and protections under the law. These are our country's and our Party's core values. Across the country, at every level of government, Democrats have championed sweeping protections in the areas of employment, housing, domestic partnerships and civil unions, adoption, gender identity or expression, and hate crimes.

"Despite all we have accomplished, our work is not done. We need to fight efforts to write discrimination into our laws and constitutions. We need to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, and repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We need a comprehensive, science-based strategy for combating HIV/AIDS. We must address the socioeconomic problems, including poverty and limited access to health care, that increase vulnerability to this disease.

"To do all of these things we need to put a Democrat in the White House, expand our majorities in Congress, and elect more Democrats at the local and state level across the country. To do that, we need you. Get active, get involved, and join us so we can take our country back."

Jared Polis interviewed for PageOneQ

Everybody's favorite out and proud Colorado politician, Jared Polis, is all over the news these days. Read a great interview with him here at PageOneQ.com.

Ann Coulter calls John Edwards "the very definition of faggy."

While discussing a National Enquirer article claiming that former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has an illegitimate child with "his mistress," a "blonde divorcée," frequent guest and right-wing pundit Ann Coulter told Newsradio 850 KOA host and Independence Institute President Jon Caldara during his July 23 broadcast, "I just think John Edwards is an incredibly creepy individual and the very definition of faggy." Coulter's homophobic remark echoed her reference to Edwards as a "faggot" during a 2007 speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Coulter did not directly respond to Caldara's later question, "Can't [Edwards] also make it very clear that you use the adjective 'faggy,' but he's got a wife and a mistress; how much more does he have to prove to you that he's not faggy?"

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, Coulter and Caldara have joked on KOA about Coulter's homophobic slurs, and Caldara defended Coulter's previous attack on Edwards, made when she stated during her March 2, 2007, CPAC speech that she "can't really talk about" Edwards because "you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot.' " Caldara described the epithet as "a joke that just didn't have a solid point of reference."

Read more at Colorado Media Matters.

Listen to an audio clip of the show by clicking here.

Outsources tonight on KGNU

On Outsources tonight, guests will include Mindy Barton of the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project and Michael Schneider of Merrill Lynch.


Mindy will be discussing the 50-state strategy that has been developed to move the same-sex marriage bill across the country and Michael, who specializes in financial planning for same-sex couples, will address money and estate planning issues for the GLBT community.

Yours truly, MileHighGayGuy, will also be on hand to share some fabulous news about upcoming events and entertainment for the GLBT community.

Outsources can be heard every Monday from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on KGNU in Denver at 1390AM and Boulder at 88.5FM and online at KGNU.org.

Mr. T to stop shooting speedwalkers with Snickers


Well, I don't really see what all the hubbub is about but HRC, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, reports that Mars Inc. will pull a controversial television advertisement (see clip above) for Snickers following communication between the HRC Workplace Project and Mars, the parent company. The ad features a man whose appearance and actions – speed walking in an exaggerated manner – conjure up stereotypes of gay men. The man is then ridiculed by Mr. T who appears shooting Snickers bars out of a gun and admonishing the jogger to be a “real man.”

Statement from HRC Workplace Director Daryl Herrschaft:

“Following conversations between the Human Rights Campaign and senior Mars representatives, the company has agreed to pull its most recent ad using stereotypes of gay men to sell its Snickers product line. HRC applauds Mars for taking swift and appropriate action.

In 2007, another distasteful Snickers advertisement was aired during Super Bowl XLI. The company subsequently pulled the ad. Following that, HRC began a constructive dialogue with Mars on workplace inclusion for GLBT employees. We were of course surprised to see the company return to the same practice it had just recently rejected.

These kinds of ads perpetuate the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable, but humorous.

We are hopeful that Mars will make the necessary changes in their organization to ensure this does not happen yet again."