Republican Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts has decided to take on queer parents. Not directly, of course - that would make him a bigot. Instead he's hiding in the Forest of Wonking Policies and allowing Catholic Charities to wear the bigot pants. Don't get me wrong, they fit them quite well, I'm just sure that there is a pair of bigot pants out there that will fit Mitt perfectly, too.

In what is surely a move to pander to religious conservatives in preparation for his 2008 bid for the Republican Presidential nomination, Romney seeks to create an exception to Massachusetts law that will allow Catholic Charities - the charitable arm of the Roman Catholic Church (unfortunately cuffed by the not-so charitable arms of Joey the Rat, err...Pope Benedict XVI) - to refuse to place children in the homes of gay and lesbian couples. The exception would dance right around a Massachusetts anti-discrimination law.

In hopes of becoming the Political Pandering Panda, Romney also stated that he would sign a bill banning all abortions (including those for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest) if it were presented to him. Which it hasn't been. He just wants all those religious conservatives to know that this Panda is ready to politically pander post-haste - pre-haste really. In Massachusetts or South Dakota or Mississippi - where ever they'll take his Pandering Panda Ass, as long as he can be President.

Which has led me to the following conclusion: Mitt Romney hates babies.

After ruling in January that denying same-sex marriage to couples violates Maryland's Constitution, Baltimore Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock is now facing impeachment. In other words, ruling for marriage equality is clearly the action of a judge who is incompetent and incapable of doing her/his job. General Assembly Delegate Donald H. Dwyer, Jr. (R - of course) is behind this new and insane tactic.

Remember that State of the Union address wherein George W. Bush related "activist" judges to the criminal activity of all those Jack Abramoff bribe-taking Congress people? Here's that quote again: [Many Americans] are concerned about the unethical conduct by our public officials and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage...." And now here are those words put into action.

For full details, check out this article in the Baltimore Sun: Dwyer to Push for Judge's Impeachment. For information on Judge Murdock ruling, check out Equality Maryland's press release: Maryland Court Says State Cannot Bar Same-Sex Couples from Marriage Protections.

If you are a resident of Maryland, you can find and contact your General Assembly delegate by clicking here and following the appropriate links. Visit Equality Maryland for more information about that state's battle for marriage equality.

Oh my god! Ang Lee reads my posts on Big Queer!

Okay, probably not. But in the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, it was nice to hear that after the conspiracy of silence regarding Brokeback Mountain and all things queer at the Globes, Mr. Lee actually referenced gay men and women in his Oscar acceptance speech.

Of course I don't take back anything I said - the greatest allies of queer people in America's current political climate are and will be out, thinking, and active queer people - but it is still nice to be acknowledged. Besides, Ang Lee and the rest of the Brokeback crew whatever their sexualities were on the gay end of the prejudice stick last night. Not recognizing Brokeback Mountain as Best Picture was without question the result of homophobia, and while queers felt that sharp, sharp pain deep in our hearts in ways that perhaps they could not, I'm sure Ang & co. felt it to some degree, too.

So thank you, Mr. Lee for the movie and your words from one small voice (with one big mouth) in cyberspace.

Did they really fuck bareback? Did Mr. (Almost) Idol really ask for quarter turns so he could feel every inch of Mr. Starfucker's fuck tunnel? Did it come as close to being rape as it sounds? Or is Mr. Sf playing the victim because Mr. (A)I wouldn't return his calls? And how did Mr. Sf know Mr. (A)I was back online later looking for more action unless he was online doing the same?

Oh, wait...I forgot: I don't give a good goddamn!

The cult of celebrity is a dangerous and fickle thing, as I've shared my thoughts on before. And somehow I don't think that - even after Brokeback Mountain's 8 Oscar nominations - people are looking at Clay and re-imagining him as a latter-day Ennis Del Mar or at "innocent"-country-boy-cum-"dirty"-pornstar John Paulus and re-imagining him as 2006's put upon Jack Twist. No, national enquirers, all they see are a couple of self-hating faggots talking trash, screaming publicly about private sexual "perversions," and rattling around a celebrity closet. Because if those gays are good for anything, it's dirty, sexy, trashy entertainment about how they're all prostitutes, molesters, and rapists! Our straight haters love that stuff!

And, look at us: serving it up to them by the cumload!

It's a mid-term election year, and (so far) the tides seem to be in favor of the Democratic Party gaining some House seats with some challengers already leading Republican incumbents in the polls by double-digit numbers.

With all of the New York races that are going on this political season, however, it's a little hard for Big Mouth to take in the whole 2006 political landscape. So Big Queer readers, if you have any information or opinons from a queer POV about the races in your states, please comment on this post. This doesn't just mean information on marriage equality, immigration equality, transgender issues, or gay rights; please let us know where your states candidates stand on such queer issues as abortion, the seperation of church and state, and lobbyist reform. All of Big Queer's readers will thank you.