His Majesty, Juan Carlos King of Spain Has Officially Abdicated.

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday June 18, 2014 · 12:10 PM PDT

2014/06/18 · 12:10

The BBC website has an article. An excerpt:

Juan Carlos, 76, signed the bill at a ceremony in the Royal Palace in Madrid, which was attended by only 160 guests.
At midnight local time (22:00 GMT), Felipe, 46, will become king although the event will not be marked in public until Thursday morning.

The succession was endorsed by both of Spain's main political parties.

Before the signing, Juan Carlos sat with Queen Sofia to his right and Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia to his left as the content of the law was read out.

There will be no coronation, however, for Prince Felipe:

The ceremony at 10:30 local time will take the form of a proclamation rather than a coronation, in part because of the economic hardship that many Spaniards have experienced in recent years.

I've got my issues with monarchy, but this transition is important for Spain. It was contentious, especially over the idea of maintaining the monarchy, but it was peaceful. I wonder what it will look like when the Queen of England dies.

So We Have Some Wingnuts in Maine: Who Doesn't?

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday June 17, 2014 · 7:53 PM PDT

2014/06/17 · 19:53

I don't mind Kossack brainwrap's call-out of Maine State Representative Lockman's stupid pronouncements on rape, however, as a voter and taxpayer in the State of Maine, I feel compelled to make sure everyone has a decent and fair understanding of our wonderful State which was created in the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and was one of the most aggressive fighters on the part of the Union and a hotbed of abolitionism when the civil war began and sent more men to fight in the Civil War than many more populated states.

Maine may be a lot of things--the oldest and whitest by demographic; the most Episcopalian; one of the poorest, but it is also a marriage equality state, and one that got there through the ballot box and not by the courts. It has serious protections for LGBT persons, and cities like Portland have anti-discrimination laws for LGBT persons and protect the rights of women to enter abortion clinics.

We may only have 1.3 million people, and we may have a lame duck tea party Governor, but we're poised to elect the first openly gay man, Democrat Mike Michaud, to the Governorship in November.

We're not a backwater in every way. I just wanted people to know that. Can your state say your state voted for marriage equality and LGBT housing rights at the ballot box and are poised to elect an out, gay man (working class, too) as Governor?

I thought not.

"Dirigo". "I lead". The motto of the Great State of Maine.

Brothers and Sisters: A Bittersweet Anniversary

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday June 15, 2014 · 5:00 PM PDT

2014/06/15 · 17:00

Today would be Terun's and my third anniversary and second as a married couple. It would also be his 50th birthday. I am glad I am here at The Rock, sitting just feet from the memorial garden where his ashes were scattered (along with some of those of my grandmother's). Terun loved this place, which was quite fortuitous because I happen to love it too and spend a lot of time here.

I'll offer some thoughts on loss and spirituality after the break, but first a word from the Brothers and Sisters Diary Group:

Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meetup for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing is welcome.

Follow me over the orange cloud of incense for more... Read More

My Masonic Lodge Recognized My Husband's Death Tonight

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday June 10, 2014 · 9:45 PM PDT

2014/06/10 · 21:45

My late husband, whom many of you might have encountered as he was a Kossack, was an identical twin. Tommy, my brother-in-law has a birthday coming up in a few days. Terun, my late husband, died before he could be made a Mason but nevertheless received unprecedented Masonic honors at his funeral--mostly, I suspect, because of his famous Masonic relative, Joseph Brant.

Tonight, in Lodge, we had our annual inspection by the Grand Lodge of Maine. We worked a degree. However, at any meeting of a Lodge, it is asked if any of the brethren know of any sickness or distress. I stood up, and gave my sign, and mentioned that my brother-in-law was coming upon a difficult anniversary, and that I had spoken to him today. Dutifully, a card was passed along for all Brothers present to sign that will be sent to him. The difficult anniversary is his birthday, and Terun and my anniversary.

Among guest brethren present was a Master of a neighboring lodge, and he--like me--is a gay man. I'm not the Master of my lodge, but an officer.

Not a single member of my Lodge cares one whit that I am gay.

At this time of year, I am deeply moved that my brethren not only care, but they "don't care". They "don't care" that I am gay. They just care about me, and about my brother-in-law.

Drive-By Diary: I Loved Him So Much

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday June 09, 2014 · 8:37 PM PDT

2014/06/09 · 20:37

I'm kind of persona non grata these days up here in Northern New England. I don't mind. I mean, if people are really your friends, they are really your friends.

I'm not sure any of them were. Some of them have never experienced the love of their lives, and some of them live in a state of quiet desperation.

But I have one friend. He's not alive anymore, but he was the love of my life. His name was Terun, and he was a Kossack, and here he is:

When I was awash in grief, for his loss, I was abandoned by my friends who showed up for a funeral and even gave money for a planting which I still have yet to get around to (I live on an island). I said horrible things to people. To people who like to gossip. To people I love, and hoped to have an ongoing relationship with. They abandoned me. To a one.

I wish I could be as strong as my neighbors who have also experienced loss. Though what I have learned is that they have never lost the love of their lives. Most of them remain single or miserable.

I won't be at Pride this year because it would be my anniversary (and GreenMountainBoy02 and I were actually married) and it would be his birthday.

I won't be with the people I thought were my friends because they are happy to not have me around.

What a community, indeed.

LGBT Pride 2014: First Things First--Coming Out

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday June 02, 2014 · 6:44 PM PDT

2014/06/02 · 18:44

LGBT Pride month is upon us again, and each year I like to kick it off here with a diary about coming out. There's a first step in any process, and in the process of living your life as an open and proud member of the LGBT community, that first step is called "coming out".

Now, not everyone is comfortable with coming out, but it has had its proponents for a lot longer than many people realize. I quick look at teh Wiki reveals this historical information:

In 1869, one hundred years before the Stonewall Riots, the German homosexual rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrichs introduced the idea of self-disclosure as a means of emancipation. Claiming that invisibility was a major obstacle toward changing public opinion, he urged homosexual people to reveal their same-sex attractions. In his 1906 work, Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur (The Sexual Life of Our Time in its Relation to Modern Civilization),[6] Iwan Bloch, a German-Jewish physician, entreated elderly homosexuals to self-disclose to their family members and acquaintances. Years later, Magnus Hirschfeld revisited the topic in his major work The Homosexuality of Men and Women (1914), discussing the social and legal potentials of several thousand homosexual men and women of rank revealing their sexual orientation to the police in order to influence legislators and public opinion. (Bolding mine.)

As to the origins of the term "coming out" or more fully, "coming out of the closet", there's this interesting tidbit:

The present-day expression "coming out" is understood to have originated in the early 20th century from an analogy that likens homosexuals’ introduction into gay subculture to a débutante’s coming-out party. This is a celebration for a young upper-class woman who is making her début – her formal presentation to society – because she has reached adult age or has become eligible for marriage. As historian George Chauncey points out:
"Gay people in the pre-war years [pre-WWI]... did not speak of coming out of what we call the gay closet but rather of coming out into what they called homosexual society or the gay world, a world neither so small, nor so isolated, nor... so hidden as closet implies"[11]

In fact, as Elizabeth Kennedy observes, "using the term 'closet' to refer to" previous times such as "the 1920s and 1930s might be anachronistic."[12]

An article on coming out[13] in the online encyclopedia glbtq.com states that sexologist Dr. Evelyn Hooker’s observations introduced the use of "coming out" to the academic community in the 1950s. The article continues by echoing Chauncey's observation that a subsequent shift in connotation occurred later on. The pre-1950s focus was on entrance into "a new world of hope and communal solidarity" whereas the post-Stonewall Riots overtone was an exit from the oppression of the closet.[13] This change in focus suggests that "coming out of the closet" is a mixed metaphor that joins "coming out" with the closet metaphor: an evolution of "skeleton in the closet" specifically referring to living a life of denial and secrecy by concealing one’s homosexual or bisexual orientation. The closet metaphor, in turn, is extended to the forces and pressures of heterosexist society and its institutions.

There's plenty more history where that came from in many, many other sources and queer historians, but we're here tonight to tell our stories and make old Dr. Ulrichs proud--because his theory was correct. The more visible we are, the easier it becomes in the struggle for our dignity and human rights.

Now this diary is not just for members of the LGBTQ community. Not at all. It's also for our straight allies. I invite queer and transgendered folks to share their coming out stories in the comments, and I invite our straight allies to share their stories of having family, friends, and loved ones come out to them. Don't you think it will be interesting to see this from both sides of the coin? I do.

So, queer friends and allies, let's jump over the little orange doohickle and share some stories. I'll start with my own.

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 29, 2014 · 8:15 AM PDT

2014/05/29 · 08:15

According to today's edition of the Porland Press Herald (article at link), the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices has decided to levy a $50,250 fine on the National Organization for Marriage for misusing its non-profit status during the 2009 referendum campaign for marriage equality in Maine. The referendum lost, only to have the voter's decision reversed in 2012, bringing marriage equality to Maine by the ballot box, one of the first states to do so by public referendum.

Because the Ethics Commission ruled they violated their status as well as Maine election laws, they have not only been fined but under the ruling would have to turn over the list of their donors, something the NOM has strongly resisted. The ruling is likely to be appealed but is expected to be finalized next month.

Here's the Press Herald:

AUGUSTA –– Maine’s ethics commission voted unanimously Wednesday to impose a $50,250 fine on the nation’s leading organization opposing gay marriage, in a ruling that could affect the way nonprofit organizations attempt to influence Maine elections.
The vote followed an investigation in which the staff of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices found that the National Organization for Marriage concealed its operations and donors during its successful bid to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law in 2009.

The vote means that the state will require the organization to register as a ballot question committee and disclose its donors from the 2009 campaign.

Now, groups like the NOM hate the idea of ever having to disclose their donors. Bigots love anonymity:

A pending appeal means that more time is likely to pass before the donors to the 2009 campaign are publicly identified. Chris Plante, the national organization’s regional director, told the Portland Press Herald last week that the group will “do whatever it takes to defend this and protect our donors’ anonymity.”

If the State Ethics Commission has found that NOM violated Maine election law and operated outside of their protected status as a non-profit, I'm sorry, it's their fault if they have to disclose their donors.

I am very much looking forward to seeing that list. It could, potentially, have an impact on November's elections.

What Are Your Favorite Museums?

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 23, 2014 · 6:21 PM PDT

2014/05/23 · 18:21

Today, eclectablog had a diary up about the temporary "saving" of the DIA (and long term issues: Do read the diary). In the comments, I said that the Detroit Institute of Arts is in my top five favorite art museums in the country.

Well, I got to thinking. What are your favorite museums in art, science and et cetera?

Follow me under the fold, I'll give you my list but I'd be interested in seeing yours.

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday May 20, 2014 · 4:13 PM PDT

2014/05/20 · 16:13

Meet my good friend. This took a lot of guts, and yes, I have his permission to post this here. In fact, he was hoping I would. Take a look, and I'll let this stand on its own.

Front Pagers Hate Religious People.

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 16, 2014 · 12:45 PM PDT

2014/05/16 · 12:45

There are religious liberals. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one, The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson is one, the Right Reverend Barbara Harris--the first woman Bishop in the entire Anglican Communion is one.

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America supports gay rights and even has a marriage ritual for same-sex couples. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a similar one.

Many religious persons work like heck for social justice. The idea that here, at Daily Kos, it's just OK to bash religious folks is really ugly. It needs to stop, and it has to stop on the front page.

Please. Many of us love humanity.

Language Ignorance in Maine

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday May 13, 2014 · 3:29 PM PDT

2014/05/13 · 15:29

I just had a rather interesting experience while purchasing a package of cigarettes (no judgment, please) at the local convenience store.

Three lines: one, with young Somali girls in Hijab, bying soft drinks speaking perfect English; the other, with a blue collar-type guy buying lottery tickets in French, and me. So I responded in French. The gentleman helping me said "I don't speak French, can't you speak English?"

Wikipedia says:

Today, French is the second most spoken language in the two northern New England states of Maine and Vermont

A full fifth of Mainers speak French at home, and as their first language, and still, people discriminate against them. It is the first language of our Governor, and the first language of Mike Michaud, ME-02, who is likely to be our next Governor.

My response to the young man behind the counter, after he said " Thank you!" for my purchase?

"Il n'y a pas de quois.

The Aristocrats

commonmass

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday May 05, 2014 · 3:51 PM PDT

2014/05/05 · 15:51

There's an old comedian's joke called "The Aristocrats". Filthy as you can make it, it was never told to audiences but rather around the proverbial water cooler amongst comedians. Even Jack Benny was known to tell it, and it probably had its roots in Vaudeville/Music Hall. The eponymous film showed many famous comedians telling this joke to a wide audience for the first time in modern times.

It's the kind of joke best told by a guy like Larry David, in my opinion.

Here's a 2016 Presidential race version of "The Aristocrats", under the fold:

Newer
Older

RSS

His Majesty, Juan Carlos King of Spain Has Officially Abdicated.

So We Have Some Wingnuts in Maine: Who Doesn't?

Brothers and Sisters: A Bittersweet Anniversary

My Masonic Lodge Recognized My Husband's Death Tonight

Drive-By Diary: I Loved Him So Much

LGBT Pride 2014: First Things First--Coming Out

NOM Fined over 50K, Will Have to Disclose Donor List

What Are Your Favorite Museums?

My Good Friend Comes Out as a Bisexual Cross-Dresser on YouTube, With Video.

Front Pagers Hate Religious People.

Language Ignorance in Maine

The Aristocrats