Cowboy Love - So it turns out a certain district court judge was reading Anthony Kennedy's mind. Yet while the Lawrence decision may be couched in the controversial legal concept of a right to privacy (with all that Roe v. Wade baggage), in my humble opinion the justice who overturned Bowers had something more practical in mind.

Basically, Scalia was right when he said that the Supreme Court has now taken sides in the culture wars. Simply put, the Court majority definitively answered the long-standing question -- are homosexuals defined by what they do or by who they are? It has resoundingly declared the latter. We are people, not just sodomites, Q.E.D. The opposing view is thereby consigned to the trash heap of history. And now that we have the final answer, the whole rest of the gay civil rights agenda follows as a matter of simple logic.

"When sexuality finds overt expression in intimate conduct with another person, the conduct can be but one element in a personal bond that is more enduring. The liberty protected by the Constitution allows homosexual persons the right to make this choice." Think of the difference between that and what could have been said: the "right of persons to choose homosexual conduct."

On the flip side, those who push the anti-gay position have been reduced, in the Court's official view, to mere intolerant bigots. The laws they push, denying rights to gays, are "born of animosity toward the class of persons affected," and therefore have "no rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose."

Plenty of right-wingers will demean what SCOTUS has done. Conservative legal scholars will critique and criticize. But I believe it will actually be quite calming to our society to have this problem resolved. The great majority of people don't hate gays, and they don't really have a vested interest in seeing our lives criminalized. They're just happy someone (anyone!) has settled the dispute for them, so they can move on.

Not so fast, however -- we've only just begun. Let the gay-marriage wars commence. While I have intemperately declared that I would take up arms against the United States government should the Federal Marriage Amendment actually pass, I feel better and better that it won't happen. Even Walmart is coming around to gay rights. Prominent conservative thinkers are even waiving the white flag. So maybe even the gay marriage battle will more teacup than tempest. If that turns out to be the case, Justice Kennedy's wisely definitive ruling in Lawrence will be largely responsible.

Utah's Contrasts - Well, I was back in Salt Lake over the last several days. Hosting me for the business trip was a very traditional local law firm that appears to be closely connected to the LDS church. (Yes, they had coffee and Coke in the vending machine, but no one was drinking them.) The office was located right across the street from the Temple, and we even tried to have lunch in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly the Hotel Utah), but the wait was too long. Needless to say, this trip was definitely my closest encounter with Mormon society to date.

My boss had an interesting observation about SLC. He felt like it was a place with a quiet but rather open clash of cultures going on. In a state where the surrounding communities are 80-99% Mormon, SLC is only 50%. Thus, this one city is where virtually all of Utah's non-Mormons live, and they seem to want to let everyone else know they exist. So you really notice the tattooed bikers, the gritty street people, the soul-patched, snowboarding alterna-kids, and the pride-flag-waving homos. Suprisingly, therefore, SLC displays a remarkable spirit of Vive la différence.

Especially against the backdrop of preternaturally clean streets and orderly houses (not to mention polite, clean-shaven and neatly dressed LDS citizenry), the contrasts just stand out. I was tempted myself to check out Club Naked, a blazing neon, free-standing mostly-homo nightclub just six blocks from the Temple, but I passed. Likewise The Trapp, not too far from downtown. Maybe next time -- with my new online friends from SLC guiding me -- I will get out and see those sights.

Playing Traffic God - As someone who works from home, I find special pleasure in playing on this nifty site, discovered by my new buddy Brandon. Unfortunately, you can't actually watch accidents happen.

Consequences - The Lawrence decision is already having an effect.

Is Rue McLanahan the New Kim Catrall? - Who can resist an article that compares the ladies of Sex and the City with those on The Golden Girls...while also noting the gay affinity for both shows!

Everyday Martha - Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is continuing to push forward with new products, to prove their viability sans founder. The product is their new Everyday Food magazine, which I would buy if I could actually find it at the checkout at the grocery store. They need to work on better distribution strategies, methinks. But meanwhile Martha's not ready to go down without a fight.

Waiting for Godot - By the end of Thursday (actually, more like 11 am EDT) let's hope this map looks a whole lot different. While everyone seems to think today will definitely be the day, I note that the ruling we're all hoping to overturn, the virulently anti-gay Hardwick decision, was delivered on a Monday that fell exactly on June 30th, and the 2003 calendar has the same date.

Here are preview articles by the Beeb and the UT Daily Texan. Keep a watch here and here for today's SCOTUS news.

Darn, We Didn't Get Listed - Advocate has a (very short) article out about gay blogging, sans Beaverhausen. Salaam Pax's Baghdad blog is authored by a homo? Where have I been?

Metrosexual - The NYT finally jumps on the metrosexual bandwagon, talking about the straight men who like to moisturize, drink designer vodka, and drive trendy cars. The article even quotes the chief executive of Sharps, a new line of grooming products aimed at young urban men that my online friend Larry co-founded.

Rock the Vote - Real Worlder Sean from Boston is considering a run for national office. With the following biography, we shouldn't be surprised he's running as a Republican: "Sean is 25 years old. Sean comes from Hayward, Wisconsin. Sean is a law student who is also into lumberjack competitions (i.e. logrolling, speedclimbing, ect.). Sean has ten brothers and sisters. Sean also likes to party." But wasn't Rachel Campos (Duffy's wife who appeared on Real World SF) cool?

Will they or won't they? - SCOTUS countdown may be at zero?

Europhiles Take Note - Those who tend to believe the USA falls behind the Europeans on the basic freedoms should read this piece on EU regulation of Internet speech -- an area of personal liberty where the States remain pre-eminent.

Who's in the Look Book? - In urban gay circles, the prevalence of Abercrombie & Fitch clothing, usually bearing prominent labels and worn by muscle queens twice the nominal age of the product's target audience, has produced the derogative term "Aberzombies" for those who adopt the conformist look.

Apparently this lack of diversity isn't just a problem for customers. Non-white employees are claiming that chain management discriminates against them in favor of WASPy All-American types to serve in the highly visible role of salespeople, the NY Times reports. If the A&F Quarterly is any indication, they seem to have a case. But Ben, do you agree with the article's implication that things are different over at The Banana?

Meanwhile, PRI's Marketplace explores the "creepy" phenomenon of using brand representatives instead of normal salespeople in youth-oriented retail settings (third feature item). Perhaps my co-blogger, a former customer service manager himself, has a thought on the subject.

Scandal in Burbank - The L.A. Weekly exposes the fact that the home of Will & Grace -- alone among major networks and TV production houses -- fails to provide DP benefits for its employees. Doesn't California has some government regulation -- among its vast and ever expanding catalogue -- that would require benefits, Ben? I also wonder what Adam -- my friend and former cog in the Jack Welch G.E. machine -- thinks about his ex-employer's failings.

Not to get ahead of ourselves - But assuming SCOTUS will soon be repealing sodomy laws across the [South]land, many commentators have moved on to the next big issue - gay marriage. And it may be here sooner than you think, as many are expecting a favorable ruling from Massachusetts in July. Dale Carpenter warns us to be careful what we wish for. (Say, ever wonder what "Pyrrhic victory" really means?)

Paris - Geneva - Washington, DC - Seattle ... Sacramento? - There's much anticipation here in town about the protests that are scheduled for this weekend when an international agriculture convention convenes in downtown Sacramento. The convention center is about 6 blocks from our apartment, and across the street from the Hyatt Sacramento where the CSBA board of directors meeting I'll be attending Saturday is held. Maybe the protesters need to watch Penn & Teller's Bullshit program on environmental hysteria and learn just how disorganized the movement really is.

A First - Two gays running against each other in the primary -- and the lack of qualifying opponents in the general election -- have guaranteed that a gay man will serve next year in the Virginia House of Delegates, the Washington Blade reports. While this is great news for homos in the Old Dominion, I kinda feel sorry for the guy. The homophobia in Richmond politics is rampant, and the GOP caucus is a festering swamp of big-time bigots who spend way too much time gay-baiting and self-righteously trashing homosexual citizens. Hope he's up to the task.

Tick Tock - There was no decision today from the Supreme Court in the Texas sodomy law case. With an ever-shrinking list of cases yet to be announced, there are only two Mondays left in the Court's 2002-2003 calendar, which ends on June 30. The only question is, are we going to be celebrating, or protesting, or perhaps a little of both?

city living - dc style - I question the wisdom of a marketing "genius" who uses the sale of Gap denim for comparison. Read more about DC's new campaign to lure "hip" new residents here.

Dad's Day - Huh, well, this year it was a $25 movie theater gift certificate, not a $5 Blockbuster card, thank you very much. And I even called on Saturday!

Gays Gone Wild - Politicians in San Francisco and in New Orleans are up in arms over the risque and scandalous street parties targeted at the gays. But if the young gays can't move away from Fresno to party in San Francisco, where can they go? While I think that visitors would not object to clear boundaries, organized entertainment and weapon checks, the prohibition of alcohol consumption on the street is likely going to be met with some objections. How does DC handle their Halloween drag races, John?

Magazines - The Chicago Tribune staff picked their 50 favorite magazines and it makes me question, is a list this comprehensive really of any value? Give me your top ten, but when you've listed every mainstream magazine ever published, doesn't the ranking lose its effectiveness? And don't dis Us Weekly in one blurb and then go on to name it one of your favorites lower down in the list. For the record, I subscribe to many, many magazines, including Cook's Illustrated, The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly. I was pleased that Vanity Fair was noted for its crappiness (yes, I subscribe, but just for the pictures), but I'm disappointed that Instinct didn't get an honorable mention.

Packaged Goods - Because watching all of the various reality TV programming in fast forward on Tivo is too taxing, now VH1 has a new show, just for me! It's called Reality Wrap-Up and it's being billed as a Talk Soup for the new millenium. The show promises to recap the highlights of all your favorite reality shows, so you can talk about them around the watercooler without actually having to watch. That's all I ever want to do...to have a base of pop culture knowledge to sound like I'm on the cutting edge of the trend! Thanks VH1!

Oh, Ahnuld! - In a speech to a taxpayers group, the Terminator 3 star this week said, "This is really embarrassing. I just forgot our state governor's name -- but I know that you will help me recall him." (emphasis mine.) Get it? There's a campaign to recall California Governor Gray Davis from office. Wonder if Arnold has got Bruce Vilanch working as a speechwriter! Although, wouldn't it have been even punnier if he'd worked in a reference to Total Recall?

One of These Things... Is Not Like the Other - Compare and contrast this same bylined AP story in today's WaPo and Washington Times. See the difference? The Times presumably changed the author's original wording (using the term "gay") to read "homosexual."

Slanted Door - Netty and I had dinner this week at the deservedly much-lauded restaurant, The Slanted Door. The eatery has temporarily relocated South of Market from its usual Mission district digs in San Francisco, but the quality of the food remained excellent. Apparantly, the old location is undergoing extensive renovations that hopefully will resolve some of the issues in original cramped space. The wait was still very lengthy without a reservation, but it was made more tolerable by sharing some vegetarian spring rolls and chicken satay in the bar, to compliment our limeade martini and mandarin blossom cosmo. When we finally sat down to a table, we had a delicious mix of sugar snap peas, fresh sweet corn with minced pork and a claypot chicken that had a rich, but sweet sauce. I'm still wondering what happened to Livefire, the original inhabitant of the Brannen St. location, but I definitely plan to bring Kevin with me and return to the Slanted Door.

Somebody Call Tom Clancy - Yes, it's like the plot of a bad action movie, but the U.S. government is worried about a jetliner gone missing over Africa. The fear is, now that commerical airline security is tighter, that terrorists will obtain a human-piloted missle by sneakier means. Strangely, this story was noted on ABC's World News Tonight weeks ago (I saw it from the treadmill at the gym) but wasn't widely repeated at that time. I guess the continuing absence of the jet has raised the story's profile. Then again, things go missing in Angola all the time, apparently.

Ashcroft's Homos - Now the DOJ Pride event is back on. I'm not too surprised. Outright cancellation was a dumb move, but it got the press agitated and hence all the right-wing fanatics took approving notice. But the Bush Administration is nothing if not politically savvy. By reinstating the group's access, while refusing to endorse the event, they throw the anti-gays a bone, but at the same time, they've avoided looking like bigots themselves by continuing to accomodate gay Federal employees. Really, it is not too different from the way Bush handled the Santorum affair. Oh, what a tight-rope act it is to be a Republican President. Such daring acrobatics can only be admired.

Psycho-Sexual Self-History - Our man at the Washington Post Style desk, Hank Steuver, chronicles the life of Art Cooper as the "the Mind Behind the Perfect GQ Man." In passing, Steuver references "that pool where track star Tom Hinthaus posed for that iconic Calvin Klein underwear ad, circa 1983."

Boy, does that bring back memories! I remember reading this Newsweek cover story circa 1984 about the rise of beefcake. (It a school-sponsored subscription, part of our "current events" curriculum.) The author talked about the CK ads, about Richard Gere, and about the prevalence of the new "homosexual aesthetic." AIDS was all over the news at the time, so perhaps that's why gays could begin to be mentioned as a cultural phenomenon. (Contrast that with what young homos can read about these days -- or watch on TV!) It was also around then I was able to surreptitiously watch Making Love on our sole cable movie channel. That sure made me think of Perseus from Clash of the Titans in a whole new way.

But aside from those things, I think it was actually reading the good parts of Judith Kranz's novels my mom owned that really turned me gay. That plus a Gay Talese novel that I found at my great-grandmother's beach house. He wrote about orgies! And Kranz wrote about tea room action! Then there was my dad's copy of The 13th Valley, a gritty and meditative first-person soldier's novel about Vietnam that had a shocking gay scene (if only in the lead narrator's imaginings) that really captured my fancy.

Oh, my poor tender young self! I never had a straight snowball's chance in hell. :-)

Nielson-Speak - Ben, maybe you can help me understand something. When an article like this one speaks of a TV show "averaging a 27 household rating/40 share," what the heck does that mean? Can you decipher the lingo for me?

Out and About - DC held its annual Pride Festival, with happy homos cavorting in the shadows of John Ashcroft's nearby Justice Department. Seems like as good a metaphor as any for the in-between state of gay America these days.

The Great Gay Way - Okay, I used to think NBC's Cher concert was the gayest thing on television but last night's Tony Awards topped it. (Ahem.) Both the Associated Press and Reuters felt compelled to comment on the evening's overtness. And color me shocked to see NYTimes fav "Take Me Out" as best play. I wonder which as-yet-Oscar®-less gay-for-pay leading man is going to win the fight for the role of closeted Big Leaguer when Hollywood comes calling?

Singled Out - According to reports, the Baltimore-Washington region is fourth-best in the nation for singles. Of 40 cities evaluated by Forbes Magazine on the basis of nightlife, culture, job growth, number of singles, cost of living alone and "coolness," B-WDC came in just behind Austin, Denver-Boulder, and Boston. How does it get such a high rating?

D.C. provides culture, nightlife and millions of young people, while the surrounding Virginia and Maryland suburbs provide job growth, and Baltimore helps lower its cost rating. The numbers don't lie: Washington has world-famous museums like the National Gallery and the Phillips Collection, hip neighborhoods like Adams Morgan and DuPont Circle and thousands of college grads who head to the capital each year to change the world. Its suburbs are an economic engine, hosting firms as diverse as candy-maker Mars and Lockheed Martin. And gritty Baltimore, linked to the D.C. area by the U.S. Census Bureau, is one of the most cost-friendly cities in the country.

San Fran is up there at no. 6, but Sacramento scores a rank of 21 -- just edging out Salt Lake City -- and Norfolk-Va. Beach manages to come in at 31st. (Up two spots from last year! Top 25 here we come.) Oh well, at least it's not Pittsburgh.

Freedom from Political Correctness? - AOL was recently sued for failing to protect a Muslim subscriber from anti-Islamic speech in its chatrooms. This report from the ABA Journal explains that AOL won its case in Virginia Federal court, based both on the rejection of the idea that a chat room can be a "place of public accomodation" covered by civil rights laws, and also on the imunity that the Communications Decency Act grants to service providers. (When the Supreme Court struck down the law's anti-pornography sections, it preserved the sections that protect ISP's.) My old law school copyrights prof gets in a soundbite.

Pop Culture Wars - Ben, did you know one of the beefs against ousted NYTimes Executive Editor Howell Raines was that he allowed "soft news" to creep into the A Section? As this WSJ article notes,

Mr. Raines's activism included picking and assigning stories for the front page very different from the Times's usual serious fare. Both editors and reporters alike were reluctant to report back that the story wasn't correct or interesting, staffers say. One staffer dubbed Mr. Raines's interest in pop culture as "charge of the lite brigade." Two reporters spent five days reporting Mr. Raines's contention that Britney Spears's career was over without feeling confident they could prove his hypothesis, according to a person involved with the process. The resulting story ran on the front page on Oct. 6 headlined, "Schoolyard Superstar Aims for a Second Act, as an Adult."

How's that strike you, Ben?

It's a Good Thing - For those wishing to register their support for Martha, she's got her own website now.

Gay Divorce Lawyers, Start Your Engines - The Assembly side of the California Legislature has appproveda bill to expand domestic partnership rights. The measure would still have to be approved by the state Senate and signed by the Governor, and withstand a challenge that it actually goes against the reviled Knight Initiative. Nevertheless, it seems like progress is being made toward gay couples in California to be 'married' like Chip and Reichen.

Target: Capitol Hill - In the latest news here at future Ground Zero, the Continuity of Government Commission has issued its first report on making the Congress more "survivable" in the case of mass terrorist attack. The WaPo carries the AP story. Of course, as a taxpaying American citizen who is no longer represented in the Congress, they can all be blown to hell as far as I am concerned.

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood - Ben will be in heaven on his next trip to Manhattan, for it seems the fabled chain restaurants of suburban middle America are setting up shop in the Big Apple. At last, New Yorkers will have a clue what all those Applebee's TV commercials are about. Yet something about this story rings a bit false. After all, as the report admits, there's been a T.G.I. Friday's in Times Square for ages. But perhaps the point is that the chains are now infiltrating NYC's neighborhoods, not just the tourist traps where natives fear to tread.

Old Boys Club - Almost-dead presidents and the founder of the Tri-Lateral Commission. Yes, it's nice to have recognizable names like David Rockefeller join the Republican Unity Coalition (second item). But wouldn't it be nice if this gay-straight alliance wasn't just a bunch of eighty-something geezers? Oh well, the TLC connection at least adds homos to the New World Order that secretly controls the universe.

Justin vs. Beyonce - As an avid reader of Teen People, I was interested in this Washington Post story on adolescent girls teaching the FBI how to be "cool" in order to blend in and identify exploiters of children. But the more I thought about it, what a ridiculous spin to put on a very serious subject. Not only does it seem to trivialize the crime, it also seems like there would be better, more effective ways of combatting it.

Chip and Reichen - So, Instinct magazine has Reichen Lehmkuhl of The Amazing Race on the cover, but the article inside makes no mention of the show or of his "husband" Chip. Then, I'm sent a link to a profile on Friendster.com that claims to be Reichen, saying that the two have broken up. I'm inclined to think that the profile is a fake, because if Chip and Reichen did break up as a result of tensions on The Amazing Race, wouldn't CBS contractually obligate them to keep it a secret in the hopes of generating more dramatic interest in the show?

Mommy and The Gay - We and most of Dupont went to see Margaret Cho's new show on Saturday night. Strangely, this was the first out of three times I've been to see her when I wasn't in the company of Ben and Kevin. (Strange because they live 3000 miles away.)

The seats weren't quite what I had hoped for. It turns out the "front row" of the upper balcony at the Warner Theater isn't so great, since only an aisle separates the upper and lower balconies. Cho was in pretty good form, especially for a second showing of the evening. Opening act Bruce Daniels was funny and, of course, gay. Cho told many, many vagina jokes. And as always, the best stuff revolved around funny accents and contorted facial expressions.

The only dull spot was the political activism, which unfortunately overtook the comedy as the show came to a close. Note to Margaret: Save the canned speeches for the next Millenium March. Identity activism is fine for political rallies but it's not exactly your funniest material. Interestingly, the most partisan comments got a very tepid response from the crowd. I guess in Washington, D.C. the composition of even Cho's audience is influenced by which guy is in the White House.

Build It - They'll Come - The NYTimes has a good roundup of the museum-building spree going on in Washington, DC these days. The most prominent is the National Museum of the American Indian, which is rising next to Air and Space on one of the last remaining empty sites on the National Mall. And though I used to drive by it all the time, I had forgotten that the expansion of the Corcoran will feature Washington's first Frank Gehry. Combine that with Rafael Vinoly's Kennedy Center expansion, and we could be in for some interesting new architecture (finally!) over the next few years.

Golden Memories - Yes, it's true, the three available members of the Golden Girls have reunited for a special recap to air on Lifetime this evening. Unfortunately, it turns out that Estelle Getty has Parkinsons and Alzheimers and was unable to attend. Be sure to bring a cheesecake and tune in tonight!