Last night, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) explained to Rachel Maddow his decision to sponsor legislation to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"It's our job now to act with a sense of urgency to make it happen," he said. He told Maddow that he agrees with President Obama's decision not to suspend the policy in advance of Congress sending him a bill to sign, drawing comparisons to President Bush's unilateral decisions.
He reports having support from his colleagues, but does say some representatives of conservative districts will not co-sponsor the bill even if they've privately assured him they'd vote for it.
As for his reasoning in opposing DADT, this Iraq War vet argues:
"When you're in Baghdad in 138-degree heat like I was exactly six years ago, when you're [looking at] the guys to your left and your right or that young women to your left or your right, the fact is you don't care what their sexual orientation is, you don't care what their race is, their religion is, their creed is—you care if they can fire an assault rife, if they can kick down a door, that's what this is about. And that's why we need to repeal this, because now is the time to make it happen."
Los Angeles blogger husbands Popmuse and Bloghungry announced today the birth of their first child.
We join the two longtime-friends of Towleroad in welcoming Lily to the village, and congratulate the couple on their recent anniversary celebration of 5 years together. There was also an official marriage ceremony in the last days before last November's election, and the couple has supported No on 8 and other efforts to overturn Proposition 8, which took away the right of Californians to marry legally.
Clearly, Lily is unlikely to want for love, strength, delicious food, the latest remixes, and companionship (there is, of course canine, Carrie Fisher), but rest assured of the support and love that's out there for the whole family.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Servicemembers United announced today a national "Voices of Honor" Tour to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), a former West Point professor and Iraq War vet, is the lead sponsor of legislation to repeal the unpopular policy that bars LGBT people from serving openly in the United States armed services.
Murphy said, in part:
"Our president, President Barack Obama, has stated that If Congress can get a bill to his desk repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, he will sign it into law. It is now our job, and my job specifically, to quarterback this through the Congress of the United States to do just that. I can not tell you today how long it's gonna take. All I can tell ya is that paratroopers don't quit, and paratroopers get the job done. To remove honorable, talented and committed Americans from serving in our military is contrary to the values that our military holds dear."
Video of Murphy's speech after the jump.
"Voices of Honor" will make stops in Philadelphia; Trenton; Virginia Beach; Phoenix; Kansas City, MO; Orlando and Tampa and will feature former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the first American soldier injured in Iraq, among others. CNN points out that some of those involved were chosen because they're straight, as outreach to other straight soldiers.
Via Out.com: London's National Portrait Gallery opens "Gay Icons," an exhibit filled with celebrated people "who may or may not be gay themselves" from all fields. Joe Dallesandro (pictured above), k.d. lang, Quentin Crisp and Andy Warhol are among the icons chosen by Waheed Alli, Alan Hollinghurst, Elton John, Jackie Kay, Billie Jean King, Ian McKellen, Chris Smith, Ben Summerskill, Sandi Toksvig and Sarah Waters. The show runs through October 18.
The Jonas Brothers are quitting music? Seems like this might be a ruse to buy a magazine. In this case, Time Out New York's July 9—15 issue. Which happens to have four unique collector's-edition covers of the Jonases shot by Dan Hallman.
Sarah Palin might not be running for president so much as for kingmaker. But if she did decide to run for president, despite turning off the left and the middle, she's got 7 in 10 Republicans willing to vote for her—even after abruptly quitting as governor of Alaska.
UnXXXciting: Porn actress Savanna Samson is dispirited by the lack of good scripts lately. Cheer up, at least every year is the year of the woman in that genre and every role is meaty.
Kim Jong Il showed up at a tribute to his late father looking like he is about to join him at any moment.
Mug Shotz: Laverne & Shirley star Eddie Mekka ("Carmine"), 57, bagged for DUI. It's a bad week for '70s sitcom-star sobriety.
Scenes from a Mall: Footage shot in 1990 at various Los Angeles malls sped up and set to music. More interesting that it sounds.
Over 60 kids from the Creative Steps Day Camp were kicked out of The Valley Swim Club because they were black. When the black children arrived (they'd paid nearly $2,000 to join) and entered the pool, the white children got out, said one of the parents. "I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" reported Dymire Baylor, one of the children asked to leave. Pool attendants reportedly admitted minorities are not allowed at the club, and in a statement, the president of the club said, "There was a concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion...and the atmosphere of the club." P.S. This happened in 2009.
The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop-culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.
NEW ARTIST TO WATCH AND FREE DOWNLOAD
Toronto electro quartet Fritz Helder & The Phantoms are obsessed with fashion on their cheekily-titled debut Greatest Hits. These sartorial synth-masters wax eloquent on electronic odes to Karl Lagerfeld (“Lagerfeld Lady”) and the pleasures of the runway (“You Ain’t Vogue”). They’re not above a shady put down or two (our favorite’s the deadpan bitch-slap on “Making A Scene”: “That Prada clutch, girl, that’s so last season”). And evidently they like their sex like they like their music: mechanical (“Sex Robot”).
In other words, Nelly Furtado’s first signing to her boutique label is a deeply shallow gang of dance-happy goofballs. They go by the names Fritz Helder (vocals and keytar!), Pastel Supernova (vocals), Diego Superstar (beats/keyboards) and Silk Helder (guitar), and they dress in couture duds that make Scissor Sisters look like grunge-era rockers.
Check out the Dragonette remix of “Lagerfeld Lady” here.
NEW RELEASES
Gay pin-up folkie/Shortbus star Jay Brannan's In Living Cover — a cover-laden follow-up
to last year’s confessional debutgoddamned — features gorgeous takes on
Joni Mitchell’s seminal love song “All I Want,” The Cranberries’
war-torn “Zombie,” and a handful of striking originals.
Florence + The Machine live up to the overseas hype and then some with the release of their debut Lungs
(available digitally only in the U.S.). Backed by a rotating collection
of collaborators, Florence shows she’s the new Björk, the new Kate
Bush, the new Siouxsie Sioux. In other words, a true original.
Modern soul’s pre-eminent “baby maker” — the seductive neo-soul man
Maxwell — disappeared for eight years. But he’s back with a hot new
coif and a handful of slinky come-ons with BLACKsummers’night, the
first release in a planned trilogy.
Chris Garneau’s a sexy out singer-songwriter in the Sufjan
Stevens/Jeff Buckley mold — his breathtaking high, clear voice is
beauty incarnate, his songs delicate and tough, and his second release,
El Radio, as majestic and steeped in Americana as Bon Iver or Fleet
Foxes.
Alison Moyet, whose solo tour was unfortunately cut short last year in the U.S. (presumably due to poor ticket sales), has announced a tour, "25 Years Revisited," in the U.K. this fall. A comprehensive "Best of Alison Moyet" collection will be released there in October, with a deluxe edition to include live versions of her classic songs.
Record labels have finally reached an agreement with online radio sites, such as Pandora, on the licensing fee for the use of their music. For two years each side battled the other, as the online radio sites charged that the high royalty fees being assessed would put them out of business.
And we thought $1.29 per song was a lot: A Minnesota woman, ordered to pay $1.92 million for illegally sharing copyright-protected music, is seeking a reduction in damages she owes. In a retrial of a 2007 case, she has been charged $80,000 each for 24 songs she shared, which her lawyer argues is "grossly excessive." The Recording Industry Association of America no longer files such lawsuits.
MUSIC VIDEOS
LeToya: "She Ain't Got" It’s been a good year for the former members of Destiny’s Child — Beyoncé continued her world domination; Kelly Rowland filled dance floors with “When Love Takes Over;” and now LeToya Luckett roars back into the spotlight with this club-thumping face-off with an unfaithful lover. From forthcoming album Lady Love, out August 25.
Rye Rye ftrg. M.I.A.: "Bang" (AUDIO NSFW) The young Baltimorean rapper Ryeisha "Rye Rye" Berrain is the first signing to M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. label; the mentor brings her playful exoticism to her protégé’s crunk-infused homage to ghetto-licious street dancing. Her debut drops later this year.
Franz Ferdinand: “Can't Stop Feeling” These louche Scots make like the Four Stooges in this playful cause-and-effect clip for a dubby, synthy highlight from this year’s change-of-pace Tonight.
Madonna: "Sticky & Sweet Tour" DVD trailer Captured on tour in Buenos Aires, this DVD trailer reminds us that there’s nothing Ms. Ciccone cannot do, from double-dutch jump-roping to an Evita sing-a-long, it’s a kaleidoscopic trip through the history of our greatest living pop star. DVD due this fall; date TBA.
