In his obituary today in the NYTimes, we are reminded that C.A.Tripp's ground-breaking 1975 book, "The Homosexual Matrix," reported that during World War II the F.B.I. ran an all-male bordello in New York "staffed with homosexual agents charged with extracting information from foreign sailors."

Sounds like a pretty posting for patriots, but wait, if this was during the war, why did the feds have to go to such trouble to get information from friendly navies? Was it just for fun? Since I couldn't be there, I should read the book.

If Amnesty International can make it an important part of its agenda, New York queers and those who love or respect them, but of course anyone with a love of liberty and humanity, can make it over to the Egyptian Consulate in New York tomorrow, Friday, at lunch time.

Join activists from around the world in a Global Day of Action to mark the 2nd Anniversary of the arrest of the Cairo 52, and stop the ongoing persecution of men perceived to be gay in Egypt. Protest the continuing Internet entrapment, raids of private gatherings, and detention and ill-treatment of men in Egypt because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.

Al-Fatiha and Amnesty International OUTfront call on all LGBT people and allies to put pressure on the Egyptian government to stop the targeting of men for arrests and prosecution because of their sexual orientation. Amnesty International considers people imprisoned solely on the basis of their sexual orientation as prisoners of conscience and calls for their immediate release.

Rallies are planned for cities across the U.S. and around the world. In one particularly visible protest, at noon tomorrow, 52 people will chain themselves on the Place des Nations, the entrance to the European headquarters of the United Nations, in Geneva.

Protests and actions are planned for Manila and Hong Kong. In Berlin there will be street theatre, in Madrid there will be a demonstrtion at the Debod Temple, an Egyptian temple given to Spain at the time of the construction of the Aswan Dam. In London a demonstration is planned at the site of Cleopatra's Needle, and in lovely Ireland, pubs and clubs are being asked to allow Amnesty International to campaign in their venues and black tape will be stickered vertically onto their loo mirrors, so that when customers look into the mirrors they will look as if they are in a prison cell. Over the mirror will be the text, "you are behind bars for 30 seconds - in Egypt gay men are behind bars for three years."

The New York details:

PROTEST/RALLY

Friday, May 9, 12:30 - 1:30 pm
The Egyptian Consulate
1110 Second Avenue (58/59 Sts)
New York City

Bring sassy, hand-made signs. Organizers are encouraging us to "wear red in solidarity with the clandestine resistance and celebration of gay pride taking place in Egypt."

Tony Kushner and Mark Harris met five years ago. Last month they affirmed their partnership before friends in Manhattan. The occasion made the "VOWS" feature in the NYTimes Styles section this past Sunday.

They started planning their commitment ceremony soon after 9/11, buying rings at Tiffany's and complementary gray-toned suits at Saks.

The sales clerks were all accommodating, they said. "One cake designer I called said, 'We specialize in elaborate beautiful white flowers all over the cake,'" Mr. Harris recalled. "So I said, 'I should tell you, this is for two men.' There was a slight pause and she said, `I can put little baseball players all over it?'"

I think both the country and the state of New York would be better off having at least one empty senatorial seat than have it continue to be occupied by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I could easily add the chair of our senior senator, Charles Schumer, to the trash heap. We'd save the expense of both establishments and be well rid of the hypocrisies of pretend-democrats (small d). I think I'd rather fight an enemy who believes in truth in labelling.

Lesbians and gays who have any understanding of the world should be particularly angry. Both senators have been more than enthusiastic about the Bush wars and the administration's assaults on our domestic liberties, and both have come up pretty empty when it comes to meaningful support for queers, although we could argue, as Bloggy does, that Clinton must be confronted with her political cynicism even more than Schumer. She has been remarkably successful in presenting herself as a hero to homos all over the country, in spite of the absence of any evidence. Wishful thinking, I imagine. Are we so desperate? Are we all political bottoms?

Hillary's no friend of queers

I have never understood why so many homos seems to think Hillary Clinton is somehow on our side. She takes our money and shows up and gay fundraisers, but that's the extent of her "support". While running for the Senate, she said she would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

It has now been one week since Senator Santorum's remarks, and as this article in the Gay City News reminds us, she hasn't managed to make any statement whatsoever. As of today, there's no statement on Mr. Santorum on her web site, but she has found the time to announce legislation to establish "National Purple Heart Recognition Day" and praise Schweizer Aircraft Corporation and its support of our troops.

Chuck Schumer took a week to come up with a statement, but there's nothing on his web site. He lives in Park Slope, so he has plenty of queer neighbors!

You can contact our illustrious senators here: Clinton and Schumer. Hillary doesn't have "Gay and Lesbian issues" in the topic choices, but Schumer does.

[from Bloggy, May 3]