Queer International Studies

Laura Sjoberg informs us that she is working to form a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, and Allies  Caucus of the International Studies Association (the premier organization of academic IR scholars) in order to: A. To promote fair and equal treatment of members of the Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, Bisexual, and Queer and Allies (hereafter LGBTQA) community in the International Studies Association ...

D.C. Marriage Rate Lowest in U.S.

Tyler Cowen points me to an interesting discussion on the subject "Why So Few D.C. Residents Are Married." Washington City Paper's Amanda Hess cites a Pew survey finding that "Only 23 percent of women and 28 percent of men and in D.C. are married, compared to 48 and 52 percent nationwide. The rates in D.C. are so low that they ...

Post Trying to Macaca McDonnell

Republican Bob McDonnell enjoys a rather sizable lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds in his race for Virginia's governorship. But the Washington Post, which went after George Allen with amazing fervor in his 2006 race against longshot Jim Webb, is doing what it can to fix that. First, it ran a series of articles about a master's thesis McDonnell ...

Gay Bigamy Now!

Since well before I thought the matter one for serious consideration, Andrew Sullivan has been making insightful, compelling arguments in favor of same-sex marriage.  This, alas, is not one of them. A reader makes an excellent point: One thing that struck me about the DOJ's argument that DOMA does not violate the equal protection clause since homosexuals are still able to marry ...

McCain: I Would Have Ordered DADT Review

Ana Marie Cox interviewed John McCain this afternoon and reports via Twitter that "if he were POTUS, he would have already ordered Joint Chiefs of staff to investigate efficacy of DADT." DADT is, of course, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military that has been in place since the early days of the Clinton administration, replacing the ...

Court Rejects DADT Challenge

Gays looking to get the Supreme Court's help in being allowed to openly serve in the military have been rebuffed. The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting a request by the Obama administration.  The court said it will not hear an appeal from former ...

Obama ‘Fires’ Gay Arabic Linguist

UCSB political scientist Aaron Belkins' HuffPo piece "Obama To Fire His First Gay Arabic Linguist" has drawn quite a bit of blogospheric attention. Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard who is fluent in Arabic and who returned recently from Iraq, received notice today that the military is about to fire him. Why? Because he ...

Torture and Sex: Moral Relativism or Morally Unrelated?

Kevin Drum observes, When the subject has anything to do with sex, the right in America is the party of moral absolutes.  We know what's right, we know what's wrong, and even if there's a price to pay we can't shirk our responsibility to set a proper example and do the right thing. But when the subject is torture, suddenly it's all ...

Democrats Can’t Win for Losing

Matt Yglesias, responding to my statement yesterday that "We’ll always have a strong 'conservative' movement. It’s just that Ronald Reagan and Alex P. Keaton wouldn’t quite recognize it," one-ups me and posits that "American politics in the future will mostly be dominated by a center-right political coalition just as it always has." While he's riding the progressive horse and yelling "Faster! ...

Bill Moyers Gay Hypocrisy Scandal

I've followed the discussion about the Bill Moyers "scandal" (see, for example, today's (WSJ piece "Bill Moyers's Name Is Linked to J. Edgar Hoover's Abuse of Office") out of the corner of my eye for the last couple of days  and am having trouble seeing what the big deal is. Basically, as I understand it: Back in 1964, then-30-year-old Moyers was ...

Obama to End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The last Democratic president began his administration by starting the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military.  His successor may start by ending it. President-elect Barack Obama will allow gays to serve openly in the military by overturning the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy that marred President Clinton's first days in office, according to incoming White ...

Republican Party’s Future

My Palin Derangement Syndrome post got a number of thoughtful responses, especially for a weekend post. My fellow Jacksonville State alumnus Stacy McCain, a Palin fan, thinks the internal debate on her role in last week's defeat and her future as a Republican Party standard bearer is one we should have.  He objects strenuously, though, to the tone of some of ...

Homosexual Sets World Sprint Record

Tyson Homosexual ran 100 meters in a wind-aided 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials today, in what would have been world record time. I mean, Tyson Gay. Leftie People For the American Way's Right Wing Watch blog reports that, In addition to blocking traffic from websites they don’t like, it looks like the web-geniuses behind the American Family ...

Gay Medic Discharged after ‘60 Minutes’ Appearance

A group "dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" reports that Darren Manzella has been discharged under said policy. Decorated Army Sergeant Darren Manzella has been discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service, effective June 10. The Iraq war veteran was one ...

A Difference, Not a Defect

In reference to James' post below, it's worth pointing out that a biological cause for homosexuality does not, in any sense of the word, make for a birth defect, and we should be careful how we define the phrase. Calling homosexuality a "birth defect" (as some will no doubt begin to do so), implies that homosexuality causes some interference ...