Lez Review: February 20 – 26

A synopsis of the past week’s news… Honestly, I just watch the Academy Awards for the commercials.

OK that was a lie – I don’t watch them at all. In my opinion, Hollywood’s biggest night is just one giant annoying display of how shallow this town is and how distorted this country’s priorities are. But, back to my comment about commercials, Ellen’s controversial spokeswomanship for JC Penny premiered tonight during the show and because she is our leader, I support that wholeheartedly.

But, if we want to talk about awards that matter, check out the winners that you all chose as your 2012 CherryGRRL Readers’ Choice Award recipients, here.  That Angie Harmon was your favorite actress in a drama and Claire Moseley your “most annoying reality TV personality” really does make me feel like I’m right where I belong.

Missing from all mention of awards for work in 2011, however, was everyone’s favorite fallen child star and sometimes lesbian Lindsay Lohan. But is she set for a comeback in 2012? Probably not, but she’ll definitely take her first shot at it when she hosts Saturday Night Live this coming Saturday, March 3^rd.

Something tells me that Lindsay owes Tina Fey a huge thanks for that one and that Tina Fey likely now owes Lorne Michaels a huge favor. If Fey doesn’t show up as a special guest and/or host in the very near future, I’ll be shocked.

And now to the bulk of my reporting on the past week, Gay Marriage Updates… In brief, the Maryland State Senate has now approved the marriage equality legislation introduced by Gov. Martin O’Malley and he is expected to sign the bill soon but unfortunately, according to the HRC, “Virtually any piece of legislation, according to Maryland law, can be subject to a referendum where voters cast a ballot supporting or opposing the legislation.  Opponents of marriage equality are expected to begin obtaining the requisite signatures necessary to refer the Civil Marriage Protection Act to the general election ballot.” Luckily, a January poll by the Washington Post indicated a majority of Marylanders support marriage equality. In New Jersey, in response to his Governor’s harsh veto of same-sex marriage, New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney says Garden State lawmakers will work to override it. Via an editorial in the Huffington Post, Sweeny stated:

New Jersey nearly made it to the finish line. Unfortunately, a governor driven by national ambition derailed the fight for equality and fairness. But Governor Christie’s veto only delayed the day and time when we finally establish marriage equality in the Garden State — because it is going to happen in New Jersey, and we are going to override his veto.

…Anyone who is a student of history knows that you never, ever put the rights of the minority up for a vote of the majority; the majority will almost always vote it down. Not only was Governor Christie clearly ignorant of history on this issue, but his newfound sense of populism (the governor never seems to ask for a public referendum on any other issue) was also a way to relieve his Republican colleagues in the Legislature of their duty to serve the people. Our job as legislators is to act. If we are going to simply punt on every difficult issue that comes up, we might as well pack our bags and head home.

And finally, across the river, The Village Voice  has reported that gay marriage in NY has contributed 200K to the city’s marriage bureau. To quote the Human Rights Campaign on this news (because as nerdy as it sounds, I like it): this is “yet another reason why marriage equality makes sense (and “cents”) for this country!”

Oh wait, one other very cool piece of marriage equality news. Judge Tonya Parker of Dallas, TX, says she won’t marry ANY couples until same sex couples have the same rights. An open lesbian, Judge Parker told Stonewall Democrats of Dallas:

I use it as my opportunity to give them a lesson about marriage inequality in this state because I feel like I have to tell them why I’m turning them away… So I usually will offer them something along the lines of, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality, and until it does, I am not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn’t apply to another group of people.’ And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it.

Ummm, love her.

A few other quick items of note: In response to the church’s recent call to censor the groundbreaking exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture at the Brooklyn Museum, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art is hosting Uncensored: Queer Art and the Church, a week-long exhibition to which anyone may submit artwork and all submitted artwork will be shown (submit online at uncensoredexhibition.org); the Oklahoma House of Representative leaders have blocked HB 2195, a bill that would have implemented an even more extreme version of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” within the Oklahoma National Guard; straight people think Emma Watson’s “pixie” haircut makes her look like a lesbian (which is ridiculous); Bianca Lawson talked marriage equality, Emaya, and that “Pretty Little Liars” finale rumor to AfterEllen; and CG’s on camera superstar/leap-year baby Morgan Hildebrand gets a bday this week – happy birthday, crazy, we love you!