More News From This Summer

Alright, I know I already made one post tonight, but I forgot to add some things I wanted to bring up that has to do with the LGBT community and pop culture!

First of all, earlier this year I touched on how I was surprised, for some reason, to find out people like Will Smith and Jay-Z are same-sex marriage and gay rights supporters. To that list, I can now add other amazing people like Betty White, Josh Hutcherson, Willie Nelson, the cast of a show called Teen Wolf, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Charles Barkley, Sean Avery (New York Rangers), Anne Hathaway, Daniel Radcliffe, Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, P!nk, Natalie Portman, George Clooney, Hudson Taylor (wrestler), Jennifer Aniston, and George Carlin as well as tons more I'm sure! These are just the people I have learned about in the last few months that are pro-LGBT. =D

On a minor note, apparently Paris Hilton finds gay men "disgusting" and thinks "they all have AIDS". WOW! and here I thought she couldn't get any more dumb or ignorant....

Secondly, who else was outraged at Chick-Fil-A these past few months?! I know I was and still am! For those of you not sure what happened or that are out of the loop, allow me to explain. Chick-Fil-A's, a popular fast-food chain, COO released several statements earlier this summer (in June and July) about how they support "traditional marriage"and  that those who support same-sex marriage and "have the audacity to define what marriage is about" were "inviting God's judgment on our nation". In response, the Jim Henderson Company (The Muppets) refused to continue doing business with the corporation! The company had the license to the toys Chick-Fil-A were using in their kid's meals. They then revoked that agreement and said they would donate the payment of said toys to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The Mayor of Boston and Alderman of Chicago both expressed hopes to ban the chain from their cities. Things really came to a head when it was discovered that the restaurant chain had been donating funds to organizations against same-sex marriage! While many people decided to attend Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day on August 1, 2012, protesters of the chain retaliated in kind. They organized boycotts and created "Kiss Day" for same-sex couples to show up at Chick-Fil-A's all over the nation and, as the name suggests, kiss. :) Since then, as of September 2012, the Civil Rights Agenda released a statement saying Chick-Fil-A has  "ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights." However, Mike Huckabee (ew) and Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy have both released statements to reject the Civil Rights Agenda's remark. So in conclusion, DON'T SUPPORT CHICK-FIL-A! :)

Finally, I would like point out something curious I've been noticing. TV shows, especially in the last few years, have really started to promote having LGBT characters in their shows. As far as new shows this fall goes, the new CBS show "Partners" looks really funny and enjoyable. It's about best friends/business partners and their lives with one being straight and the other being gay. Matthew Perry's new show on NBC called "Go On" has him in a support group for life change and there is a lady in the group who lost her spouse. The spouse's name is revealed to be Patricia. The fact that this woman's dead spouse was also a woman and that they apparently had kids is treated like any other person who lost a spouse. The show doesn't try to capitalize on the fact that she happens to be a lesbian. I found it really surprising and refreshing! This is how TV and movies should be from now on! Just treating LGBT characters the exact same as straight ones without anyone going "You're gay?!" etc. Last, a new show I really like and that is really worth checking out is called "The New Normal" and is also on NBC. This show is about a couple, both men, and their journey of creating a family. They decide to use a surrogate, who is a really nice, quirky woman with a 9 year old daughter. The show is both funny and really endearing. I am SO excited to see LGBT characters becoming a norm in prime time US television. Frankly, in my opinion, it's about DAMN TIME!