This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

You can love America and also delight in watching Trump’s vain vision of America’s 250th celebration fizzle like a sparkler in a sprinkler.

Rex Huppke

Source:  USA Today

Folklore

 

Pride 2026

 

Here's evidence that I (on the right) marched with my church in Seattle's Pride Parade yesterday. The crowd seemed both celebratory and defiant, which, by the end of the procession, was more than could be said for my knees.

The Horror

 

That Was Then

Image:  Facebook

It was 11 years ago today that the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land.

If that hadn't happened and Jim Obergefell stood before this present crop of justices, they'd give him a choice between conversion therapy or scrubbing the Reflecting Pool.

This Week's Quote

Image by naeem a from Pixabay

How many more gay people must God create until we realize that he wants them here?

Kaniela Ing

Source:  AZ Quotes

Pastor Odious

Image:  Facebook

Allow me to introduce you to Jackson Lahmeyer, megachurch minister.

The founder of Pastors for Trump, Lahmeyer has ended his bid for a congressional seat from Oklahoma, thanks to a report in the Daily Mail tabloid. It seems the married Lahmeyer exchanged thousands of racy text messages with a former beauty queen who worked on his campaign.

In one message, the father of five says he "enjoyed those lips." In another, Lahmeyer tells her of going to a strip club after leaving Mar-A-Lago.

Just another fundamentalist minister who moonlights as a hypocrite?

Not quite. Lahmeyer previously claimed that "witchcraft-practicing lesbians" started Black Lives Matter. And he posted that the "Antichrist will be a HOMOSEXUAL of Jewish descent."

Lahmeyer's sexting scandal won't land the two-faced HETEROSEXUAL bigot in nearly enough trouble for my taste. If you ask me, the witchcraft-practicing lesbians have shirked their duty by not coming up with a spell for these occasions.

My Fave So Far

 

Mama Mia

Image:  Facebook

Once close right-wing allies, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump are now as compatible as Risotto alla Milanese and Kool-Aid.

Trump's claim that Meloni "begged" him for a photo at the recent G7 Summit has cheesed off the Italian leader, who called the assertion "totally fabricated."

CNN points out that Trump has a lengthy history of lying about individuals begging him for things, especially when the person, formerly supportive of Trump, turns critical, as Meloni has over tariffs, the Pope, and the Iran war. "Rather than risk looking spurned, he pretends that he was the spurner."

It's about "face-saving dominance," the zillionth example of Trump's addiction to hypermasculinity. And telling whoppers.

What former supporter will he use this tactic against next? Don't be surprised if Trump claims that Marjorie Taylor Greene is begging him to appoint her special ambassador of heckling.

June 19 Does Double Duty

 

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

Riley Gaines just swam the DC reflecting pool and came in fifth, right after the algae.

Paul Rudnick

Source:  X

Miss Lindsey's Dream Come True

 

Lordy

Image:  Facebook

Even by Trumpian standards, this one was bananas.

In the Oval Office on Thursday, Donald Trump declared that states are snatching people's children and forcing them to transition.

"Where your child leaves your house, and they take your child from you, in some cases . . .  Think of it, in six states, they take the child and do what they want to do. What they do is, is— I don’t even want to talk about it! No transgender mutilization of your children."

That's not a typo. He really said "mutilization."

I know it's easy to say our president is a buffoon, but now he actually sounds just like Moe Howard of The Three Stooges, who often threatened, "I'll murderize you!"

Why, I wonder, have states gotten in the habit of kidnapping and performing surgery on kids? Is it a moneymaker, a way of paying for roads and bridges? Or do state officials simply like to dress up as the Child Catcher in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?"

Trump failed to mention which six states are doing this dreadful thing. So I'm forced to guess:  East Dakota, Upper Carolina, Lower Slobbovia, Calisota, Missitucky, and Moosylvania.

And they should all be ashamed of themselves.

Solemn Day

 

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

Mace arrived in Congress after flipping a Charleston-area district in 2020 and built a reputation as a moderate who appealed to swing voters. She voted to codify same-sex marriage rights, called herself "pro transgender rights" and urged her party to "meet in the middle" with Democrats on abortion. By last year, Mace had begun repeatedly mocking transgender people as "trannies" and disparaged gay relationships on social media. In recent days, Mace suggested a Republican opponent in the governor’s race came from "a slum in India."

Natalie Allison on Rep. Nancy Mace's dismal finish yesterday in South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial primary

Source:  The Washington Post

The Cat's Meow

Image:  Facebook

At the Tony Awards on Sunday, Qween Jean captured the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, and that made her the first ever openly transgender Tony winner.

Reading about her triumph, I realized Jean is every single thing the Trump administration hates. The show she worked on, "Cats: The Jellicle Ball," draws from ballroom culture. Jean is also an activist, having founded an outreach organization called Black Trans Liberation. And, she was born in Haiti.

A Black, transgender, activist, immigrant theater artist. I guess a celebratory Big Mac at the White House is out of the question.

He's Generous That Way

 

Attuned to June

Image:  Facebook

Republican governors are trying their hand at rebranding a certain month.

In Tennessee and Indiana, June is Nuclear Family Month. In Utah and Arkansas, it's Fidelity Month. In Alabama, it's Strong Families Month.

In the case of the latter, the governor seized on Father's Day, proclaiming fathers are "the head of the household." Alabama's governor is a woman.

This obvious attempt to replace LGBQT Pride has me pondering what the Strong Nuclear Faithful Family parades will look like.

I suppose the floats will be sponsored by Pampers and Huggies. Marching teenagers will hand out purity pledge cards. Adults will toss biblical tracts on traditional marriage, traditional gender roles, and traditional tradition to the crowd. At points along the parade route, men will testify how Jesus saved them from pornography.

An hour of that and sheer boredom will drive people across town to the queer parade.

Yes, Even Tugger and Sprinkles

 

Credit:  Joe Dator

This Week's Quote

Image by Serena Wong from Pixabay

I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act, write, speak, be, I'll be sending messages on a Ouija board, cryptic complaints from the other side.

Audre Lorde

Source:  AZ Quotes

Pride Pledge

A Weird Feeling

Image:  Facebook

Now and then, Washington's famous folk rocker Brandi Carlile plays three-night shows in the middle of the state at the outdoor Gorge Amphitheatre.

To say the Sapphic musician has a devoted following is an understatement. When I visited my friend Ruth yesterday, I gave her the news:  "We're the only lesbians left in Seattle."

So the Plan Is Now Stand-Up Comedy

It Could Happen Again

Image:  Facebook

It occurred in 1518 in Strasbourg, France. Hundreds of people danced uncontrollably for two months.

After hearing that the DOJ has opened an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, making plain that Donald Trump's desire and ability to punish his enemies are both boundless, I felt a sudden urge to do the frug.

This Week's Quote

Image:  Wikipedia

I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico denying he's vegan in an early salvo in what's sure to be an ugly battle in Texas

Source:  Newsweek

Kudos to the Store Employee

 

Memorial Day 2026

 Image:  Pixabay

On this Memorial Day, I'm thinking of the Vietnam War, which I'm old enough to remember.

All these years later, I believe most Americans who fought in that war, those who protested against it, and those who fled to Canada rather than serve all displayed a kind of bravery and introspection.

That fella whose father arranged a diagnosis of bone spurs, on the other hand, displayed exactly the kind of qualities he still evinces:  self-absorption, a fondness for cheating, and the spiritual depth of a Vietnamese rice paddy during the dry season.

Coming to Your Local Gas Pump

 

A Friday Softball

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

It's the end of the week and you're on your final brain cell, so here's an easy question to answer. Which of these queer news items from the last several days am I making up?

1.  Astute, trailblazing, imperfect former Congressman Barney Frank died at 86.

2.  Tennis legend Billie Jean King graduated with the college degree she began in 1961.

3.  The Colorado Supreme Court ordered Children's Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming medical care for minors.

4.  Liberace's ghost testified before Congress on the need for every American to have their own ballroom.

24/7 Reality

Image by BedexpStock from Pixabay

Last night I was driving home around 10 and brooding over the fact that I'd just watched my Seattle Storm, in a game at Climate Pledge Arena, pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

Suddenly I saw multiple flashing lights ahead on the other side of the road. I drove by carefully, as there was nobody directing traffic. Only a mile later did it dawn on me that I'd probably just driven past an ICE raid on a home.

The pieces fell into place:  the one helmeted "cop" I saw didn't look worried, and if this had been a crime scene, I wouldn't have been allowed to get so close.

I realized I was distressingly slow on the uptake because I don't have to live in terror over ICE coming to kidnap me. That display of American ugliness isn't part of my daily or nightly reality. Other displays are, but not the ICE follies.

Unless Trump and his parasites decide to start deporting everyone born in New Jersey.

This Week's Quote

Image by Christian Dorn from Pixabay

I think he is a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos praising Donald Trump

Source:  The Hill

Donald the Don

 

The Uncomfy Truth

Image by Justin Vogt from Pixabay

Yesterday was "National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day," and the organization that supports queer seniors here in Seattle hosted a "Silver in the Rainbow Dance Party."

I attended, accepting the reality that at 62 I belonged there. Though all evening I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm at an event co-sponsored by AARP."

A Classic

 

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

Trump brought Lara and Eric, Elon and Marco Rubio with him to China. It's similar to when the early settlers brought smallpox to America.

Paul Rudnick

Source:  X

A Hero Passes

Image:  Facebook

Jason Collins, the NBA's first out gay player, has died of brain cancer at the age of 47.

In a 2013 essay he penned for Sports Illustrated, Collins wrote, "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation."

That conversation about gay men in sports hasn't stopped since, and we owe Collins a great debt. It's a shame he didn't live longer to see more and more jocks come out. But at least he died knowing he set a ferocious pick on homophobia.

Republican Career Gal

Image:  Facebook

I want to acknowledge that Karoline Leavitt was the first pregnant White House press secretary, and she worked until just a few days before giving birth to her daughter on May 1.

Clearly Leavitt is a devoted servant of the president, lying with almost the same aplomb he does, and she plans to return to her job after maternity leave. She could get back even sooner if she hired a wet nurse.

I hear Bryon Noem is available.

Research

 

Thomas Tenure

Image:  Facebook

As of today, Justice Clarence Thomas has served on the Supreme Court for 34 years, six months, and 13 days. That makes the arch-conservative the second-longest serving justice in history.

Funny. To me it feels like he's been on the Supreme Court a mere 800 years.

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. You don’t get to enjoy Hispanic cuisine. Eat a Twinkie and be quiet.

Brunette Bohemian

Source:  X

More Than Enough

 

Color Me Impressed

Image by Janet Reddick from Pixabay

As red states go, Texas is downright crimson.

But sometimes crimson has a blue undertone, and this week that distinction belongs to the city of San Antonio. For the first time, the San Antonio City Council issued a proclamation recognizing Trans History Week, a global event that starts today.

Will this move amount to waving a red flag to the bull? Will conservative Texans go red in the face? Are they being tossed red meat? Is the proclamation crossing a red line?

I could stop, but that would make me blue.

Balance in 2026

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

Yesterday evening I volunteered at a fundraiser for a group that helps transgender people with limited means flee red states and move here to western Washington.

The event highlighted an inherent tension in the group's efforts. With all the official and unofficial threats against trans folks right now, the group considers secrecy paramount. But fundraisers require publicity. How the hell do you publicize an event you can't talk about?

The answer is very carefully, and I'm pleased to say the room was mostly full last night. But obviously we could've brought in many more donors with unshackled publicity. It's a tough balance to strike.

One attendee told me she wanted to shout out before the program began, "Will the FBI informant please stand up and leave?" I would've added, "Please donate before you go!"

That's When the Trouble Starts

This Week's Quote

Image:  X

TWO KINGS.

The caption for a photo of King Charles III and Donald Trump

Source: The White House's official X account

Both Sides Agreeing on Something

Image:  Facebook

I noticed that my Facebook feed has been oddly heavy on liberal conspiracy theories in response to the attempted assassination at Saturday's Correspondents' dinner. The Washington Post reports that the rush to declare conspiracies, by both the left and right, was unusually "marked and potent."

Both sides claim Donald Trump and his flunkies staged the chaos in order to build support for Trump, floundering in the polls, and that ridiculous ballroom he lusts after so much it might as well be a female eastern European.

Disinformation experts noted something I glommed onto, namely that all this conjecturing highlights a growing disenchantment with Trump among MAGA types. It would be poetic justice if he who gained the White House on a hot mess of lies were brought down by the same.

A big factor in this conspiracy theory explosion is the human need to make sense of a crisis when little information is available. One expert said that Trump calling for the ballroom right after the incident created mental discomfort for some, who then leaped to conclusions. "It's like conspiratorial Mad Libs."

I loved Mad Libs as a kid. My siblings and I used to think it was hilarious that whenever a noun was called for, we shouted "toilet!"

We were ahead of our time. The conspiracy theorists need to plug in something to make the world make sense—and under Trump, Washington IS a toilet.

Last Night

Image:  Facebook

Regarding the events at last night's White House Correspondents' dinner, I loathe Donald Trump as much as any thinking American, but I don't believe he, nor any of his minions, should be assassinated.

That said, let me tell you who I felt the most sympathy for last night:  the female reporters. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hurl yourself under a table wearing a formal dress and heels? I'd have strangled myself on the tablecloth in the attempt.

One Cold Fish

 

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

Anyone that knows me knows that I will always tell you I told you so, but knowing that Sue Bird would eventually dump Megan Rapinoe, well, that was very, very easy. First, Megan Rapinoe . . . is a predator, and Sue Bird, I told you forever was not a lifetime lesbian. Maybe I'm wrong, but I knew, I knew that was never gonna last because Rapinoe is a predator.

The aptly named Dick Dakich, former ESPN announcer

Source:  Out

We Miss You, Jill

Image:  Facebook

As you well know, the Trump administration has labored to roll back gay rights and to destroy transgender people.

The cavernous difference between this administration and the previous one jumped out at me as I read that former First Lady Jill Biden attended The LGBT Community Center's Dinner in New York City last week. Apparently she's such a fan of "Heated Rivalry," the gay hockey series, that she bid $35,000 for a walk-on role.

She lost. We know how she feels.

The queer community, in a short amount of time, has gone from being supported to being vilified by Washington. We have whiplash like we were checked into the boards by a toothless enforcer from Saskatchewan.