Dot Gay May be on the Horizon

Move over .com and make way for .gay!

...or .love, .eco, .car, .health, .radio, .ski, etc. In fact, there's a large list of all the possibilities various groups already want to see when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) completes its tasks to implement the new Top level Domains over on the .NXT Conference site. The custom domain will also mean cities and states can have their own top level domain like .nyc or .florida. We may also see brand ones like .coke (.canon and .unicef are already listed).

What's the catch, you may ask? Having your own top level domain like this will be coming with a hefty price tag. $185,000 plus a $25,000 annual fee according to the Washington Post. Pretty big catch! Luckily, the dotGAYalliance and dotGAY will be pushing to have the .gay extension included so we may see eventually sites like hotel.gay, sports.gay, or health.gay popping up.

Unfortunately, as has happened in the past with the Bush Administration stopping the .xxx extension, the Obama administration is quietly pushing to allow countries, including the US, to veto top level domains. That then leads to the trouble that having a central domain such as .gay (or any number of potentially controversial extensions like .abortion, .aids, etc) would allow countries who aren't friendly towards a particular subject to block any domain with that extension if it was approved by the ICANN.

Confused About "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? You're Not Alone...

As one of my followers on Twitter mentioned recently, the news about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has been less than clear. He is, of course, absolutely right as it seems things are constantly going back and forth about whether it will be repealed or not (and even if it will be included in the Defense Authorization Act this year). I've been reading the stories as they appear on various news sites and have seen everything from the White House not approving any defense bill without the repeal of DADT to the lame duck congress won't be able to pass the defense bill with or without it due to the small time span.

While I won't be able to make anything clearer about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" myself as I'm not a member of congress, at least I can do some of the legwork by giving you a list of the most informative articles I've read lately to do with DADT.

While Wikipedia has its flaws in the communal editing and potential of false information being edited in by those who aren't up on their facts or are trolling, generally, it is always a good place to look for quickly updated information and source linkes. Don't Ask, Don't Tell article on Wikipedia

Advocate.com is also another source and is where most of the articles I've been reading has stemmed from. The latest one posted as of November 16, 2010 is A Midwestern DADT Repeal Effort.

Others Articles Posted Recently

• http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/yes_dadt_repeal_could_still_pa.html


• http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/mccain_is_still_on_the_wrong_s.html


• http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/the_morning_plum_131.html


• http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/on_dadt_its_imperial_presidenc.html


• http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/11/gates-launches-investigation-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-review-leak.html


• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131223266


• http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-1114-court-gays-military-20101112,0,6155475.story


• http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cindy-mccain-opposes-john-mccain-dont/story?id=12131423


• http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20022790-503544.html


• http://www.washingtonblade.com/2010/11/17/obama-restates-commitment-on-keeping-dont-ask-in-defense-bill/

Overall, we're going to have to wait and see what comes out of the lame-duck congressional session. Taking a look through some of those links will help to piece together a semblance of where things are currently standing. If it's anything like a couple recent days though, tomorrow it may very well be a different story.

A Lesbian Flight Nurse Fighting for Reinstatement into the Air Force

A lesbian flight nurse discharged under the government's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military was an excellent officer whose sexuality never caused a problem in her unit, former colleagues told a federal judge Monday.

Former Maj. Margaret Witt is seeking reinstatement to the Air Force Reserve in a closely watched case that "don't ask, don't tell" critics hope will lead to a second major legal victory this month. The trial began just days after a federal judge in California declared the policy unconstitutional.

Witt was suspended in 2004 and honorably discharged after the Air Force received a complaint from a civilian about her sexuality.

The first witness in her case, retired Master Sgt. James Schaffer, testified that Witt was exceedingly competent and said her dismissal was so unfair, it was part of the reason he retired in 2007.

"It was a rather dishonorable act on the part of the Air Force," Schaffer said. "It should not be about what you are, but who you are."

A 2004 e-mail from the married woman's husband to the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. John Jumper, prompted the investigation into Witt's sexuality. Witt remains in a relationship with that woman, whose husband divorced her.

Her suspension came less than a year before she would have earned her full pension.

Lady Gaga Spends Her Money on Her Shows

LADY GaGa says she doesn’t “give a f**k about money”.

She has spent a whopping $4m on the North American leg of her Monster Ball tour — insists she is not in the music industry to become rich.

“I spent every dollar I made on my music, my art. Every dollar,” GaGa insisted. “I don’t wait to get budgets from the label. I do it on my own. I don’t give a f**k about money. Unless it’s on the stage, I don’t want it in my hand."

“Pop music is commercial art the way Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans were commercial art. I don’t know why everyone is so against pop music. I love a good chorus – sue me. It’s that f***ing simple."

“My ultimate goal besides making music forever and touring the world over and over and becoming the greatest pop performance art show on the planet? I want a Lady GaGa exhibit at the Louvre.”

“I’ve gone bankrupt about four times now,” she said in July last year. “My manager wants to shoot me.

“Every dollar I earn goes on the show. Now we’re finally getting to a place where it’s not bankruptcy.

“Then again, with another tour coming up soon I’ll probably be homeless again.”

HIV Assault Case Has Activists Fighting With Ottawa Police

Ottawa police in Canada were just trying to do a good thing for groups like the Gay Men's Wellness Initiative, by raising money with a pancake breakfast.

Gay advocates are furious with Ottawa cops' handling of the Steven Paul Boone case, where the man was publicly outed as HIV-positive in the name of "public health". Anyone who had sex with him was told they were at risk, after Boone allegedly had unprotected exchanges with a slew of men without revealing his status — something that has him facing murder charges.

Brent Bauer, of the Ottawa Gay Men's Wellness Initiative, said Boone was charged, not convicted, and was already in custody, posing no threat to the public. Bauer said Ottawa's public health department should have handled the case.

By releasing the photo, Bauer said, police invaded Boone's privacy, and spread fear among gays, who might now hesitate to get tested for AIDS.

Bauer said the gay community was particularly galled when the police department refused to discuss changing their policy. Many believe the law regarding HIV-positive disclosure is flawed, and guidelines are needed to help police decide whether to lay charges.

Jay Koornstra, executive director of Bruce House, it's the politics behind it: "Until such time that Police Services adopts a more conciliatory and consultative atmosphere (in handling HIV non-disclosure) … our position remains unchanged. We will not accept donations from Ottawa Police Service this year."

Jennifer Aniston Fires Back at Bill Oreilly

Bill O'Reilly attacked Jennifer Aniston for supposedly advising young girls they didn't need a man to have a baby, the actress removed the knife from her back and planted it firmly in Mr. O'Reilly's shoulder.

"Of course, the ideal scenario for parenting is obviously two parents of a mature age," Aniston . "Parenting is one of the hardest jobs on earth. And, of course, many women dream of finding Prince Charming (with fatherly instincts), but for those who've not yet found their Bill O'Reilly, I'm just glad science has provided a few other options."

Charges Dropped Against Gay Marine that Chained Himself to the White House Fence

Charges were dropped against an openly gay Iraq War Veteran in Washington D.C.

Lt. Dan Choi and James Pietrangelo, a gay army captain honorably discharged for disclosing his sexual orientation, were in court Wednesday on charges of failure to obey police orders during the March and April protests. All charges were dropped.

Choi and his attorney subpoenaed President Barack Obama to appear in court, an attorney for the prosecution said the subpoena was not served.

Prosecutor Christine Chang declined to comment on why the government dropped the case against Choi and Pietrangelo.