In another stunning display of how desperate Pittsburgh media outlets are for any Steeler oriented story, the Post-Gazette's very own fashion editor LaMont Jones evaluates the "manliness" of the Steelers' gold pants.
Apparently, the Steeler Nation is aghast at the thought that our hometown heros could be perceived as "girly men" in gold. Their alternative?
Ditch the "gold" pants in favor of black, the other half of the Steelers' official team colors. Maybe add a tuxedo-style gold stripe down the outer legs for some pizzazz.
Yes, LaMont, because a bit of pizzazz will definitely quell any suspicions about their manliness.
Dispelling any questions over his own manliness, LaMont goes on to wonder if black pants would make the Steelers look top heavy and voice his concern about the waddle-factor of the current bunchy gold material.
But the best of all is the last sentence ..
But for anyone who questions the manliness of the Steelers in yellow-as-gold pants, seeing the likes of Antwaan Randle El, Troy Polamalu and James Farrior stride off the field like victorious gladiators in a Roman amphitheater should be sufficient to put any concerns to rest.
Across the blogosphere, Coretta Scott King's legacy is evident particularly with respect to her longtime support of LGBT civil rights.
We here at Lesbian Central - Pittsburgh are saddened to lose a woman we both admire and revere for her work on behalf of all human beings. God be with you, Coretta.
I found this little tidbit while idly surfing the net (and not watching the State of the Union address) on Women's Hoops Blog
It would seem that our revered football coach has been a longtime defender of Portland's hate-policies.
Joe Pa, then and now the most beloved and powerful figure at the school, refused to disavow Rene's policy and refused to say whether he'd kick a gay player off his football team.
Perhaps Joe hasn't considered that gay football players probably won't have to content with cute little girls knocking on their doors ...
Portland and Paterno both apparently opposed the efforts to ban orientation discrimination. Lipsyte reported in June of '91: "In recent interviews on the subject, Penn State staff and faculty members are guarded, seemingly fearful of incurring the athletic department's wrath."
Another fine example of good sportsman like conduct. Think about all this when you send your daughter off to college -- if she's a dyke, she's not welcome at Penn State. If she's not, she's fair game for the football team.
GLBT activist Mike Rogers has significantly ramped up the gay response to the culture wars with this latest posting on blogactive.com I fully support Mike's tactics of outing the closeted hypocrites whose actions harm our community. It is not a popular opinion, but a world in which a black gay man can openly toil for Rick Santorum is a world that needs some serious bitch slapping.
Senator...
This post will be read by thousands and thousands of people... It's directed at ONE person.
Mr. Senator:
Tomorrow you will be faced with a vote that may have the longest aftereffects of any other you have cast in your Senate career.
Tomorrow you will decide if your political position is worth more than doing what is right for others like you. For others like you, Mr. Senator, who engage in oral sex with other men. (Although, Mr. Senator, most of us don't do in the bathrooms of Union Station!) Your fake marriage, by the way, will NOT protect you from the truth being told on this blog.
How does this blog decide who to report on? It's simple. We report on hypocrites. In this case, hypocrites who vote against the gay and lesbian community while engaging in gay sex themselves*.
When you cast that vote, Mr. Senator, represent your own...it's the least you could do.
Rene Portland, coach of the PSU Lady Lions basketball team, is coming under increasing fire for her "no lesbians" policy. This from Minnesota, site of weekend anti-Rene protests ....
NCLR lawyer Karen Doering calls Portland's discriminatory policy -- "No drinking, no drugs, no lesbians," the lawsuit terms it -- the "worst-kept secret" in NCAA athletics. She said about 20 former Penn State players or athletic department employees from three different decades have told the lesbian-rights advocacy group about experiences similar to those of Harris and Davies.
Students, former and current, are showing up at the games to protest Portland's pattern of discrimination.
20 corroborating stories seems like quite a few. Catch what the Big Gay Picture has to say about it.
My call? Portland will retire between now and the beginning of next season.
My partner and PSU alum? They won't touch her b/c she wins games. Slap on the wrist.
The only person who really benefits from all this hoopla is Joe Paterno. His stupid comment, in light of an allegation that a college player raped a woman, about football players being unable to resist 'cute little girls' who knock on their doors was completely unacceptable. But he'll just slide back under the radar.
This weekend, Transamerica opens in Pittsburgh. This film, which garnered a Best Actress Golden Globe for Felicity Huffman, focuses on the relationship between a transgender woman (Huffman) and the teenage son she didn't know she fathered.
It is playing in one (1) theater -- the Cinemagic on Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill.
(Side note: Brokeback Mountain is now showing in 11 local theaters.)
The PG gives the movie 2 1/2 stars, taking Huffman's performance seriously but finding weak the credibility of her having been a man. They also question the director's choice to have a biological-born woman play the role of a biologically-born man transitioning to a woman.
Is Paris suggesting that only a biological-born male could convincingly play a MtF transexual woman? Or veering into a homophobic suggestion that only a transexual woman could convincingly play a transexual woman?
If Huffman isn't convincing, it is due to her acting. Not her gender identity.
The Trib's Ed Blank weighs in on this facet of Huffman's performance in his positive review
What's striking is that you can see in the performance the struggle to repress a(n effeminate) male who, as we know, isn't really beneath the makeup.
This commonwealth doesn't need to write bigotry into its constitution in the name of misplaced morality.
This morning the Post-Gazette editors condemn the bill introduced in the PA House of Representatives that would amend the constitution to "protect marriage."
The PG notes that the amendment's impace reaches far beyond the queer community, threatening unmarried heterosexual families including adoptive parents and senior citizens.
They rightly criticize the homo-haters who have signed on to co-sponsor this piece of legislation:
The constitutional amendment is being offered as House Bill 2381 and, to their shame, 89 co-sponsors have signed on for a chance to do something negative at the expense of gay people, as always a safe group to pick on.
Shame is right! Every single one of these co-sponsors has taken time away from meeting their constituents real needs in order to propagate a hate-laced agenda. There's no justification for co-sponsoring this bill. Especially the Democrats! This is pure and simple pandering to the right wing base and it is going to come back to haunt them.
They give a shout out to our friend and champion Dan Frankel for using his time constructively to address family issues.
Two Pennsylvania residents weigh in on the the vicious discrimination underlying this legislation.
From the Post-Gazette, we discover that "the Democrats' would-be challengers to Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, are jockeying for the endorsements of party luminaries."
That's Melissa Hart who toes the homo-hating Republican line, amendment and all. Melissa Hart who has an openly gay man working as her press secretary. Blogactive.com had the story this past fall.
So best of luck to Jason Altmire and Georgia Berner. Berner has long-time LGBT ally Sam Hens-Greco in her camp. No word yet from the Altmire campaign on homo-issues. I went through Leadership Development Initiative with Jason 5 years ago. He was a good guy and has been responsive to me when I've called on him. But he's an avowed social conservative which doesn't bode well for Pittsburgh queers.
Note: please stop trying to determine if Melissa Hart is gay. WE DON'T WANT HER.
Penn State Women's Basketball Coach Rene Portland is seeking to have a lawsuit alleging "lesbian baiting' dismissed. Go here for the story at 365gay.com
Here's what The Big Gay Picture has to say about the attempt of PSU to wiggle their way away from Portland ...
[T]hat didn't stop the school from publicly supporting her for the last several decades, despite receiving so many complaints about her that they actually had to pass a university policy banning sexual orientation discrimination in the 90s, and require all coaches to attend homophobia training. All because of Portland. (Read this overview on Women's Hoops blog for more info.)
There are A LOT of Penn State alumni here in Pittsburgh, including my lovely partner. Most knew about Portland's "no lesbians" policy throughout her tenure.
What a crock that Penn State is distancing themselves from her now ... what about the past 20 years? And all the women who played ball for this homo-hater? Or all the women who didn't because of her delusional policies?
Maybe Rene is a sorority sister of Melissa Hart and Mary Cheney?
Here's the list of Western PA State Representatives who have signed on as co-sponsors of the anti-gay marriage amendment. Legislators who think that this is a valuable use of their time, time not spent on your economy or your property taxes or your health care. Time not spent funding road repair, public transportation or workplace safety.
I guess the only thing MORE important than queer-bashing is voting themselves a raise. In the middle of the night.
Your Legislators - Threatening 250,000 heterosexual families to persecute 20,000 gay families.
Don't know if one of these homo-haters is your rep? Click here to find out.
Hon. Anthony M. DeLuca District 23 7205 Saltsburg Road Pittsburgh, PA 15235 (412) 793-2448
Hon. Joseph F. MarkosekDistrict 25Commerce Building, Suite 103 4232 Northern Pike Monroeville, PA 15146 (412) 856-8284
Hon. Joseph A. Petrarca District 55239 Longfellow Street Vandergrift, PA 15690 (724) 567-6982
Hon. Thomas A. Tangretti District 57105 Station Place 101 Ehalt Street Greensburg, PA 15601 (724) 834-6400
239 Longfellow Street
