After popular 2007 American Idol runner-up David Archuleta was spotted at a gay NYC hot spot the other night, he quickly turned to his Twitter to let everyone know that he is not gay. He really wants us to know that he’s not gay. Also that he is not into the party scene, despite being at a club party. Archuleta wants us to know that he was only in the dark gay club to support his friend Charice.

His tweets on the matter (oldest to newest):

Hey guys just wanted to clear something up real quick lol. Last night in New York I got invited to go and see my friend Charice perform.. [link]

Mental note to self: always ask where before you go! Wasn’t my kind of place lol, and I had no clue! I guess you live and learn. The.. [link]

upside was that Clarice was awesome, and she has an incredible voice. Hope that clears things up! Been seeing some of the tweets.. sheesh! [link]

Can get crazy quick. NO worries all, I wouldn’t get into things like that intentionally haha. Hope you guys have a good Sunday! [link]

@kahlidalbow Back home . Spending time with the family! I just didn’t want you guys to be worried so had to let you guys know the facts! [link]

@DebVaFOD Thanks a bunch! Charice is great and she didn’t mean to cause any harm haha. She apologized a lot after. She’s way nice lol. [link]

@hamghost I have friends who are gay, and they’re great people. Whether they’re gay or not doesn’t change how I think of them. [link]

@hamghost I have nothing against anyone, I’m sorry if that’s how it came across. I’m just not into the partying scene lol. [link]

@officialcharice Aw haha thanks Charice! Sorry for causing any problems, I know you didn’t mean to cause any confusion [link]

We could not reach Ricky Martin for comment.

In other news, at only 19, he is already releasing his memoir. I wonder if he discusses sexuality in the book?

(Photo chop by http://www.flickr.com/photos/28977992@N08/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

David Archuleta wants us to know that he’s NOT gay! originally appeared on Gay Vantage on April 20, 2010.

Washington DC Superior Court Judge Judith Macaluso handed down a ruling today in favor of the gay marriage law that passed city council, was signed by the mayor and is currently undergoing Congressional review.

The decision says that the DC Board of Elections and Ethics was proper last year in deciding that putting the gay marriage vote up to the public would violate the city’s Human Rights Act.

In the seemingly never-ending saga by being supported by gay marriage foes, the DC board has now ruled twice against putting same-sex marriage up to vote and a court has also upheld their decision twice.

Read the judge’s decision:
Jackson vs DC Board of Elections and Ethics

(Photo: jsmjr’s photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsmjr/ / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Judge Rules in DC Gay Marriage Case originally appeared on Gay Vantage on January 14, 2010.

Many have been counting down 30 days from the day that Mayor Fenty signed the DC gay marriage bill until Congress could no longer invalidate it.

Guess what?!

The countdown really started yesterday, January 11, 2009.

According to the Washington Post, Del. Eleanor Norton announced yesterday that the countdown to legalized same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia began the same day.  With everyone paying attention to the Prop 8 trials, I am wondering how many will pick this up.

The good news is that Del. Norton said that she has done her homework, and that the “initial work to close the gates on overturning” the bill has been done.  Regarding the bill itself, she said “this bill should not be on the Hill at all.  Home rule is all or it is nothing.  We can’t pick and choose when it intervene.”

So as long as Congress doesn’t decide to try to do something, we have 30 legislative days until gay marriage is official in the nation’s capital.

Depending on how much Congress decides to work, the bill is expected to become law in late February or early March.

Countdown to DC Gay Marriage Really Started Yesterday originally appeared on Gay Vantage on January 12, 2010.

At age 82, New York State Senator George Onorato — one of the Democrats to vote against gay marriage in the state — will not seek another term.  He has been successful in holding his seat since 1983.

While he could easily give a bunch of excuses about family, retirement, etc., as his reason for not seeking re-election, insiders are saying that party leaders are worried about his vote against gay marriage and have urged him to step aside.

By stepping aside, Onorato will avoid a potentially nasty primary showdown with Michael Gianaris, a 39-year-old elected as an assemblyman in 2000.  Gianaris was the state Democratic Party’s finance chairman in 2006 and raised more than $2 million in hope of winning the attorney general seat in 2006.

(Photo: New York Senate)

First Political Casualty for Vote Against Gay Marriage in New York? originally appeared on Gay Vantage on January 11, 2010.

A study recently released by the Williams Institute found that approving gay marriage in New Jersey would boost their sagging economy by almost $200 million over the next three years.

The report also estimates that same-sex marriage in the state will create approximately 1,400 jobs.

The group determined these numbers by using Census Bureau data from states that have already approved same sex marriage.  They also relied on a recent survey of Massachusetts same-sex couples that polled them on how much they spent on their marriages.

“The new report takes into account the changing legal landscape and the recession,” says study co-author Brad Sears, Executive Director of the Williams Institute.  ”When we conducted our last analysis in 2008, New Jersey would have only competed with one other state in attracting out-of-state same-sex couples seeking to marry.  Now same-sex couples can marry in five other states.”

The new report also takes into account that New York same-sex couples now have a greater incentive to come to New Jersey to marry.  ”While the legislature did not extend marriage to same-sex couples this month, the New York Court of Appeals recently upheld the decision of state agencies to recognize the relationships of New York same-sex couples who marry in other states” says study co-author Christopher Ramos.  ”This makes it likely that many New York couples will make the short trip to New Jersey to marry.”

This new estimate only includes direct spending by same-sex couples on their weddings, and tourism spending by out-of-state couples who travel to marry in New Jersey and the guests of in-state couples who marry.  It does not include spending by family members and friends on gifts or by those traveling within New Jersey to attend weddings.  The estimate also does not include the standard multiplier for tourism spending, that each $1 spent in the state generates over $2 in additional spending.

“If these factors are taken into account,” says Sears, “the total impact on the [state of] New Jersey could be close to half a billion dollars.”

The New Jersey legislator is set to take up the issue of gay marriage again on Thursday, January 7, 2010.

Full Report: The Impact of Extending Marriage to Same-Sex Couples on the New Jersey Budget [PDF]

(Photo courtesy AMagill’s Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/ / CC BY 2.0)

Gay Marriage in NJ Would Bring $200 Million to the State originally appeared on Gay Vantage on January 6, 2010.

Pastor Rick Warren — who does a great job of keeping himself in the headlines — has a bit of a problem.  His church, Saddleback Church is suddenly $900,000 in the hole for the year. In hopes of making up for the shortfall, he has taken to begging parishioners for the money before January 1st.

In a letter written to parishioners on December 30th, he said:

With 10% of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated. Still, with wise management, we’ve stayed close to our budget all year. Then… this last weekend the bottom dropped out.

On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive – leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year, unless you help make up the difference today and tomorrow.

On December 31st, he felt the need to add:

BACKGROUND: The cause of our financial shortfall was NOT a management issue but simply by the way Christmas occurred in this year’s calendar. After 10 packed Christmas services, and with Christmas Day on Friday, many people were out of town or too tired to come back for weekend services, so the unusually low attendance created an unusually low offering. That is understandable.

MEDIA: Because our church attracts a lot of attention, the media will undoubtedly report my letter- but only partially, not telling the whole story. It is likely that none of the positive end-of-the-year reports of your service to the community and none of your amazing accomplishments as a church family in 2009 will be reported. They may get some facts wrong or even misjudge our motivations. I know this is frustrating, but don’t let it bother you.

[editor: if you'd like, you can read the accomplishments he brags about here]

One immediate red flag is why he felt the need to clarify — a full day later — that it wasn’t mismanagement of funds that caused the shortfall.  Surely his non-questioning parishioners that hang onto his every word wouldn’t wake up and suddenly question the actions of him and the church, right?

This whole situation begs this question to be asked:

Is God punishing Pastor Rick Warren and his church?

Two of the commandments that Pastor Rick Warren could have possibly broken in his teachings include:

• You shall not make yourself an idol
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

If Rick Warren really is doing God’s work, wouldn’t God make sure he had the tools to do it?

Or is Rick Warren not really doing the work of God, but actually spreading hate (the opposite of what God advocates) and doing so in God’s name, hence the punishment?

It sure does make one wonder.

UPDATE: OC Register is reporting that Warren and his church ended up raising $2.4 million.  We’d love to see an accounting of those funds!

(Photo courtesy kev/null’s Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurioso/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Did God Just Punish Pastor Rick Warren? originally appeared on Gay Vantage on January 2, 2010.

Fred Phelps, the leader of Westboro Baptist Church, best known for picketing the funerals of deceased soldiers and trying to deny equal rights to gays and lesbians, has turned his attention and PR machine to pop culture by calling Lady Gaga a ’slut.’

The Daily Telegraph out of Australia reports that Phelps said that Lady Gaga is going to hell for her rebellion against God.

A release issued by the church says:

“Her claim to the title of ‘Lady’ is sound only if she tacks on ‘of the night.’ Does the simple slut truly think she can change God’s standards by seducing a generation of rebels into joining her in fist-raised, stiff-necked, hard-hearted rebellion against Him? Get real!”

The group even plans to picket her concert at Fox Theatre in Missouri on January 7th.

Westboro turned their focus towards Gaga after a speech she gave at the National Equality March, which she ended with “Bless God and bless the gays.”

As a side note, can an organization really be considered a church when their website is godhatesfags.com?  Last time we checked, God is all about love.

Fred Phelps Calls Lady Gaga a Slut originally appeared on Gay Vantage on December 26, 2009.

Chai Feldblum, a respected professor of law at Georgetown and also President Obama’s nominee for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), has been approved by the Senate health committee and will be moving on to full Senate vote.

Back in 2004, she outlined her strategy for strengthening and expanding gay rights:

“There is a war that needs to be fought and it’s not a war overseas where we’re killing people in the name of liberating them,” Feldblum said. “It is a war right here at home where we need to convince people that morality demands full equality for gay people.”

In 2006 Feldbulm signed a document that she is trying to distance herself from.  That document called for the recognition of all types of marriages, including those between three or more partners.

Feldbulm has also been criticized by the right for suggesting the sexual identity rights should always trump religious rights.

Needless to say, some Republicans may make her confirmation hearings quite interesting.

(Photo courtesy Georgetown University, Georgetown Law)

Obama EEOC Appointee Big on Gay Rights originally appeared on Gay Vantage on December 21, 2009.

Our favorite moment is when the mayor raises his hand and says “it’s done, everyone” to thunderous cheer.

We also love how the mayor chose a church as the location to sign the bill.

Update: Found another video…

VIDEO: Washington DC Mayor Signing Gay Marriage Bill originally appeared on Gay Vantage on December 18, 2009.

While gay rights activists have been busy paying attention to the situation in Uganda, which Rick Warren has finally denounced, few have been paying attention to a similar problem in Iran.

Ten young Iranian men, including eight teenagers, are sitting on death row and awaiting execution for violating national sodomy laws.  Two more men are also awaiting to be retried under the same laws.

Three international LGBT organizations have called on Western countries with ties to Iran to use diplomatic channels to cease the executions.

Iran is a closed country and it is difficult for organizations to determine how many LGBT people face harsh punishments each year under Iranian law.  Journalists and news outlets in the country are routinely censored and human rights advocates oftentimes persecuted and arrested.

(via Gay City News)

A Dozen Men Face Execution for Sodomy in Iran originally appeared on Gay Vantage on December 14, 2009.