We Need an Open Thread to Discuss GLBT Things This Week

Flying Spaghetti Monsters in Love

Let’s not get into the theological implications here, OBVIOUS AS THEY MAY BE.

We need to talk about the events in the Supreme Court (and on the streets and on Facebook) this week — and thanks to singer Katie Goodman and her friends, I finally found a suitable conversation piece to kick things off. The song is subtitled“The Homophobia Song”; I’ll hold off on the title for now, for reasons that will probably be obvious.

Meanwhile, a big shout out, half a day later than Martin Longman’s, to Alan Lowenthal for what I had not thought would be an unprecedented act on Capitol Hill. (And that’s how you know that I’m not talking about gay sex itself.)

Displaying solidarity with gay-marriage advocates on the first day of Supreme Court hearings on the issue, Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has planted the rainbow-striped gay pride flag outside his congressional office, beside the U.S. and California flags.

Lowenthal believes it may be the first time a pride flag has been posted outside a Congress member’s Washington office.

“I am honored to be the first and I am certain I will not be the last,” Lowenthal said.

Each office has fixtures for three flags – one each for the U.S. and state flags, and one for a flag of the lawmaker’s choosing.

Well — boy, howdy!  I think that Lowenthal has earned a definite “A” in this class.

(Note: this post is not dedicated to anyone in particular, not even to the occasional OJB commenter whom I suspect suspects that it is dedicated to him.)

Your views are welcome — although some expressions of them may be mildly punished.


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)