Ellen

I'm a little behind in my blog reading so forgive me if I'm sharing something everyone else has already seen. My friend Bob sent me this video of Ellen DeGeneres singing with Jennifer Hudson in the bathroom, and I thought it was GREAT! Apparently Ellen has a "bathroom concert series".

Watch the video now!!!

You GO, Ellen! I've always been a fan of Ellen, starting with her stand-up routines and her TV show where she owned the bookstore. I thought she was courageous for coming out, and for using her celebrity for good and not evil. But even if I'd not loved her before, this video will make you crack up and fall in love with her.

If you're interested in seeing who else Ellen's been singing in the bathroom with, click here.

Crush du Jour: Joseph Sayers

Ellen

I've gotta hand it to Ellen. She has really been workin' the whole "No on Prop 8" campaign. She dontated $100,000. toward the campaign against Prop 8, and has been talking about it every chance she gets, with guests on her show, and when she is a guest on other shows.

Check out all the videos! I really admire a person who puts their money where their mouth is, and Ellen is continuing to do that. Go, Ellen!

I guess its no surprise who Ellen will be voting for on Nov 4th. Check out Ellen's visits from Barack and Michelle Obama.

Crush du Jour: Barry Watson

Allies

Recently I heard about Brad Pitt donating money to help defeat Prop 8 in CA, the ballot bill that would repeal marriage equality in CA.

But what exactly is Prop 8? Ellen DeGeneres exposes the tricky wording of Proposition 8 here.

Then I saw a headline indicating Steven Spielberg and his wife donated money for this, too.

It got me thinking about how, as gay people, we sometimes forget that we are not in this alone. We have allies among the hetero population who are willing to spend money to help us succeed in guaranteeing marriage equality for those in CA.

So I took just a few minutes time to search for other people and companies who believe in equality for ALL Americans, not just the straight ones. Here's what I found.

Newsom, Paterson Host Gay Marriage Fundraiser

Steven Spielberg Donates $100,000 To Gay Marriage Fight

Google Opposes Anti-Gay Marriage Ban

Brad Pitt Donates $100,000 To Fight Gay Marriage Ban

Levi's joins fight to defeat marriage ban

PG & E gives $250,000 to defeat gay marriage ban Proposition 8

And, although not directly related to marriage equality, Pepsi Co. gave $500,000. to PFLAG, which works to strengthen the bond between the gay community and its straight allies.

Its important that we buy the products and services from the companies and individuals who are brave enough to stand up and publicly join us in our struggle for equality. Let's remember that religious groups often threaten and carry out boycotts against such companies for their courageous stand. Just ask Wells Fargo or Disney.

And if you can spare a few minutes, why not write to these companies to thank them for taking a stand for equality. They will appreciate it and will know their efforts are appreciated by us.

Crush du Jour: Eddie Cibrian

Gay Aiken

Thank god we can all finally sleep at night, now that the big mystery of Clay Aiken's sexuality has been revealed!

Yes, that's right. Clay discloses "Yes, I'm gay."
My comments are in red italics throughout this 'riveting' article.

Clay Aiken Decides That We Can Handle the Truth: He's Gay

(Sept. 23) - Clay Aiken is gay.
Duh. But since when has it been about whether or not WE can handle the truth?

After years of dodging rumors and speculation, in a PEOPLE exclusive the former 'American Idol' runner-up gives his Ellen-inspired admission: 'Yes, I'm Gay.'

"It was the first decision I made as a father," says Aiken, 29, who recently had a child through a surrogate mother. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."
Hmmm, so let me get this straight (pardon the pun): You weren't raised to lie or hide things, yet you decided as an adult that it was the best way to handle questions about your sexuality? Maybe its me, but I'm missing the connection here.

Aiken says he knows his newborn son will have a lot to process and interpret once he grows up.

"Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," he told PEOPLE. "I have no idea if he'll be gay or straight. It's not something I'll have anything to do with, or that he'll have anything to do with. It's already probably up inside the code there ... No matter what the situation you're in, if you're raised in a loving environment, that's the most important thing."
This paragraph contains the only quotation that makes any sense. I applaud his moment of clarity!

Aiken also tells PEOPLE about how he actually broke the news to his mother.

"I started crying in the car. It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don't know why I started thinking about it ... I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out," he says.
Why does coming out have to be this big theatrical production, full of tears and melodrama? In this day and age, why can't gays just say "Mom and Dad, you may have already guessed but I want to tell you that I'm gay. This probably isn't what you would have chosen for me, but its not a choice at all. It simply is. Now I don't expect you to treat me or think of me any differently than you did yesterday, because I'm the same person I was yesterday. Only now you know something more personal about me, and you can stop asking me if I'm dating any nice young girls." Wouldn't that be nice? No tears, no drama, no apologies.

Aiken wasn't the first celebrity to come out on Tuesday. After months of speculation, actress Lindsay Lohan finally divulged that she is dating DJ Samantha Ronson.
Really? I heard she was flirting with Rehab.

Aiken had lashed out at Diane Sawyer during an interview just over two years ago when she asked about rumors of his sexuality.

"At some point it becomes really rude," he said to Sawyer. "I don't understand why you want to know. I don't know why it's any of your business."
Once again I will say that any man who won't definitively answer the 'are you gay?' question is gay, because a straight man will just say 'no'.

Aiken had also said constant questioning of his sexuality in the tabloids had affected him deeply.
If he had answered the question honestly and definitively the first time, all this hurt would have been avoided!

"Even though stuff about me that I read in the magazines isn't true, it still makes me lose sleep," he said. "I hurt, not just for my mother who has to watch it happen and who hurts for me. At least when I was in middle school … I understand why they picked on me."

Aiken had also refused to come out of the closet to PEOPLE magazine in an interview done the same week as his sit-down with Sawyer.
Yet another missed opportunity.

"What do you say? It's like when I was 8. I remember something would get broken in the house, and Mom and Dad would call me in and say, 'Did you do this?' Well, it didn't matter what I said. The only thing they would believe was yes. People are going to believe what they want."
People also believe what they see and hear. They saw and heard him avoiding the questions about his sexuality so they believed the accusations were true.

Closeted celebrities, PLEASE! Just come out already. Nobody really cares that your gay. They care that you lie about it or avoid answering the question.

Crush du Jour: Joshua Morrow