Robbie Rogers Gay: U.S. Soccer Player Comes Out, Steps Away From Sport.
Robbie Rogers. Photo: Wilson Wong/Wikimedia Commons
Okay. Well, good on Robbie. The next trick is for a pro athlete to come out and people shrug their shoulders and go, “Okay. Whatever.” The victory truly comes when it’s a non-issue.
Still, this is great. I only wish him the best, though I do feel a bit sad that he felt he had to retire to come out.
Boy Scouts Gay Policy Decision Delayed.
Who’s shocked by this? Yeah, me either.
Back in the day I was a Boy Scout. I was an Eagle Scout in everything but name. I loved scouting. It taught me just about everything I needed to know to be a good man.
The Scout Law says,
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. There’s no asterisk that says “except if you’re gay.”
Maybe the organization can wrest itself away from the far, far right that has co-opted it in recent decades and made the Scout Oath and the Scout Law meaningless. Let’s hope.
After all, remember: a Scout is brave.
Gay West Point Cadet Escorts His Boyfriend To Winter Weekend Formal (PHOTO). via Huffington Post Gay Voices
How cute is this?
Every now and then I get the feeling that things will be all right.
400 – 175 For Marriage Equality In Britain « The Dish.
February 5, 2013 in London, England. Image: The Dish.
Sullivan dishes on the House of Commons vote today on marriage equality and a few additional issues we could learn a thing or two about from his home country. I posted this on my Facebook page today and said, “It it passes the Lords, how does one immigrate?” Several friends chuckled, one suggested it would be closer to move to Iowa, but, well, no.
If I could swing it — need to work unless I win the lottery — I’d jump ship in a New York minute. Liverpool minute. Northumbrian minute. Whatever.
God Save the Queen.
“Ace of Cakes,” Duff Goldman. Image: Extended Image Photography – WikimediaCommons
Things might soon be looking up for the lesbian brides-to-be who were denied a wedding cake by an Oregon bakery.
In the wake of the incident, Baltimore-based pastry chef and “Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman is sending out an open offer to the couple, saying he’ll bake and transport their wedding cake completely free of charge.
via Duff Goldman, ‘Ace Of Cakes’ Chef, Offers To Bake Rejected Lesbian Couple’s Wedding Cake For Free.
This makes me happy. I always got a kick out of Duff, plus he’s from my hometown* and he makes the old Charm City look great. I used to work not to very far from his bakery, but have never had one of his cakes. My partner has always wanted one. Maybe when we get married….
*Okay, I wasn’t really born there, but I love Baltimore and the place I am actually from is kind of repellent!
Richard III. Image: Wikimedia Commons
A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III.Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarchs family.Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester, told a press conference to applause: “Beyond reasonable doubt its Richard.”
via BBC News – Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are kings.
The link above from BBC News Leicester is chock-a-block with info about the dig, about the bones and about Richard, the last Plantagenet King of England.
Honestly, I don’t know much about him, just Shakespeare’s version. I saw Ian McKellen do it onstage in the 90s, then on film. Terrific. It’s a cracking good play.
I studied the early Plantagenets in college. Henry I and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, being particularly mesmerizing subjects. A great modern American play (and, like everything else, subsequently a film) about the first Plantagenets is The Lion in Winter. Henry is “the lion,” but the best lines are Eleanor’s. In fact, in history, Eleanor is one of the most fascinating women of the last millennia, I believe.
P.S. — Headline courtesy of an American friend of mine who lives in the U.K. I told her “Plantagenet Frenzy” sounded like a new bistro dish. Comes with crisps. Rotten old bones extra!
Says commenter “netbird” on this post on YouTube: Jimmy Fallon (and The Roots, and the entire crew, truth be told) managed to bring a breath of fresh air into the arguably pasty late night scene. They changed the late night television panorama so much in these last couple of years — my hat’s off to all of them — and this clip is the perfect example of that.
I couldn’t agree more. I love Fallon, but I can’t help thinking how awesome Brian Williams is, too. I mean, can you imagine Chet Huntley or David Brinkley slow jamming the news? Yeah, me neither.
Did Shakespeare Have Syphilis? | PBS NewsHour.
A report from the NewsHour on possible illnesses of famous literary figures. There’s a new book out, natch. Whenever you think about the follies and foibles of modern medicine, think about this:
[John] Milton is known to have “dabbled in physic,” or taken popular medicines of the day in a failed attempt to save his eyesight. These may have included “mummy” (ground-up human bones or flesh), human sweat, cat-ointment, oil of puppies, and sugar of lead, the last of which may have led to Milton’s gout and kidney failure.
OIL OF PUPPIES???
Giant goat-cheese fire closes Norwegian roadway for six days | The Sideshow – Yahoo! News.
This is the best thing I’ve read all day!
Brunost, the highly flammable Norwegian cheese, is described as being a bit salty with a “surprisingly sweet flavor with a hint of goat about it.” Doesn’t seem terribly appetizing, I have to say! Image: Yahoo News via Wikimedia Commons.
‘Bare The Musical’ Star Casey Garvin: How The Off-Broadway Show Helped Him Come Out As Gay.
Casey Garvin, who is in the Off-Broadway revival/reinvention of ‘Bare.’ Photo: Huffington Post
Well, good for Casey. Note, however, that he’s talking about the pre-2012 version of Bare, not the one he’s performing in.
I’m just a broken freaking record, but this show has so much potential, so many terrific performances, and it’s just neutered in its present form. I’ve written about this several times. (HERE) and (HERE)
Still, it doesn’t mitigate the fact that in some incarnation it helped this young man understand who he was. You won’t ever hear me discounting the power of theatre to change lives. No, not ever.
One Last Word 