Stonewall: The Next Generation

Despite the rain, despite the cold, a couple hundred people in Toronto on Saturday “joined the impact” of the international protests against the California Prop 8 ban on gay marriage (along with amazing protesters in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Sault Ste Marie!). Toronto blogger B Stewart has great photos and here’s some video of our damp heroes:

(Did your city take part? Send us links to your photos and videos!)

This weekend’s New York Times had a piece on the big, big Mormon spending on Prop 8. Meanwhile, in an astonishing coincidence, the anti-gay group Focus on the Family announced layoffs of a few dozen people (At Christmas? What would Jesus say?). You know what they say: people in glass houses should pay their damn mortgage before spending it all on rocks!

Blogger Andrew Sullivan offers a reader’s dissenting opinion on the protests:

“Yesterday my girl friend and I drove to downtown San Diego to attend
the wine and food festival. We encountered much difficulty because of
the No on 8 Marchers. Efforts at mob rule have always worried
me. This great democracy is fragile and I think we do not fully realize
how very small numbers of people can cause great disorder. We
had an election and the majority of Californians voted to preserve the
thousands of years old institution of marriage. Demonstrations like
the one I witnessed yesterday gain no sympathy from those of use who
still believe the the rule of law and democratic process. I am afraid we are going to lose this country.”

I know I’m supposed to respect an opposing opinon but it’d be a lot
easier for me if this guy didn’t want gay people to accept being
second-class citizens so it’ll be easier for him to get to his wine tasting.

But as the gay community in America and beyond thrillingly unites for our rights, why does it seem like our Olympian Mark Tewksbury is tearing us apart, ready to repeat the Outgames debacle? He’ll be hosting a new ‘Mr. Gay World’ beauty pageant, directly competing with the established ‘International Mr. Gay’ event. You know what they say: one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist!

 

As for me (freedom fighter and terrorist), as promised, my dad and I went to see ‘Quantum of Solace’ for his birthday — our contribution to the $70 million (!!) it made this weekend. We both loved it, though I was alone in my opinion that Daniel Craig is The Sex.

We were, however, cheated out of the new ‘Star Trek’ trailer that was supposed to be attached but at least it goes live on its website at 1pm EST today. Internet fanboys are already whining that Kirk and Spock “look gay.” I have no problem with this.

Meanwhile, I was happy to record this week’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ because it was hosted by Paul Rudd. (Have I mentioned him before?) If you caught the show, you saw this surprise cameo:

I’m going to be laughing all week at “dance biscuits!”

A former editor of the late, lamented fab magazine, Scott has been writing for Xtra since 2007 on a variety of topics in news pieces, interviews, blogs, reviews and humour pieces. He lives on the Danforth with his boyfriend of 12 years, a manic Jack Russell Terrier, a well-stocked mini-bar and a shelf of toy Daleks.

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