Happy Canada Day, Everyone! And with the 4th of July coming, I thought I’d write about MY top 5 reasons for celebrating being Canadian or American in 2009. All joking aside in my lists, I think citizens of either countries have a lot to be grateful for and should take their respective days to reflect and celebrate – safely of course!

Top 5 Reasons To Celebrate 4th of July This Year

5. Back from Iraq. On June 30th (yesterday), the deadline for withdrawal of American combat troops, Iraquis celebrated with a parade, declaring National Sovereignty Day. Needless to say, military families in the United States are celebrating the return of their loved ones, just in time for the 4th of July. One of the final chapters in the war in Iraq comes to an end.

4. Miss America is no longer Miss America. The anti-gay wedding witch, Carrie Prejean was was sent away with her broom when her crown was stripped away from her about a month ago for not doing her job. She had created a lot of controversy about her public opposition to gay marriage, in response to a question asked by Perez Hilton. Speaking of Perez Hilton…

Click here to check out the other reasons along with reasons to celebrate Canada Day

A friend of mine, and absolutely talented photographer Daryl Dyck, contacted me a couple days ago because he wanted some help in organising a really great project.

In California, there is a silent protest going on in the for of the NOH8 Campaign. The campaign was started by photographer ADAM BOUSKA (Who funny enough…I remember chatting with about 10 years ago on Face The Jury or one of those early sites), who is a pretty solid photographer in LA. He has managed to get a whole bunch of people on board, famous and not, to take part in this campaign. Daryl has taken it upon himself to get Vancouver to show our support to his cause, and we are organising our own photo shoot…here’s the official release.

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Yesterday, the French government officially moved toward banning the burqa and niqab in all public places in that country. This issue has promoted tensions between the cultural traditions of Islam and the Christian and secular values of the West in our increasingly globalized world. The burka- a tent-like face garment worn (mostly) by Afghan women- seems to be ground zero for this battle at the moment and people are taking sides and seeing it as either a woman’s right to wear or a symbol of degradation and subservience.

I completely disagree with the approach that the French government is taking. I fully support the choice of a woman to wear the burka should she feel that she would like to cover her skin and/or hair for religious reasons. As soon as it becomes forced and situation where a woman’s agency is taken away or she no longer has the right to make that decision for herself. We can’t really understand the cultural context, or simply judge others, if we haven’t walked in their shoes. And, that goes for everything! Read the rest of this entry »

Isn’t he just adorable? Pretty smart too. I love how open and comfortable he is with his sexuality at such a young age. I remember being in denial at that age.

Related Stories:
• Northern Exposure
• I Never Came ‘OUT’ Technically
• The Coming Out Story – We All Have One.

Every Saturday we highlight our favorite videos we’ve seen throughout the week. I don’t normally go searching on YouTube for funny videos but instead wait for friends to suggest them to me. All of these videos come courtesy of friends posting it on their Facebook profiles. I’m sure you’ve seen some of them already but for those who haven’t. Enjoy the vids.

Hammer Time: Gold Lame Shiny Hammer Pants
Seriously, how fun is this? I love looking at the shopper’s faces as they’re inundated with a wave of people wearing gold shiny pants. Put in the same situation, I don’t know what I would do. Would I run away? Would I join in? Hmmm.

Click here for more of my favorite videos this week

Last night I was alerted by one of our readers (Rome) via a comment on my last Proposition 8 article that the fight for gay marriage equality is now going Federal! (Thanks Rome for the awesome information!)

Former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson & Attorney David Boies, who argued against each other in the Bush vs. Gore contested election, announced yesterday that they are bringing fight against Proposition 8 to the federal level. The two high profile lawyers held a press conference yesterday announcing that, they (as The American Foundation for Equal Rights) have filed a federal lawsuit against Proposition 8. The case was filed in U.S. Discrict Court in northern California and asked for an immediate injunction against Prop. 8 until the federal court is resolved.

Olson, a prominent Republican says, “It’s not about liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. We’re here in part to symbolize that. This case is about the equal rights guaranteed to every American under the United States constitution… For too long, gay men and lesbians who seek stable committed, loving relationships within the institution of marriage have been denied that fundamental right.”

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I really didn’t want to have to write this article. It sucked enough when Propostion 8 was actually passed, but it sucks just as much to hear the California Supreme Court rule to uphold the measure this time around. Thankfully, there is a silver lining in that they have also ruled to validate the 18,000 marriages that took place between June & November in California- so it’s not all bad.

But, as easy as it would be for me to be all doom & gloom with this issue- I refuse to let this get me down. Yes, it’s a setback. Yes, it sucks goat ass and is a disappointment… but there is still hope! Click here for more

Although it’s only one of 50 states, California is commanding the attention of the nation as it anxiously waits to hear the fate of Proposition 8. By now, everyone knows that tomorrow is the “Day of Decision” (termed “D-day”) for Proposition 8. The California Supreme Court will announce their ruling on Tuesday, May 26th with one of the following three possible outcomes:

• Repeal Proposition 8 and legalize same-sex marriage in the state of California
• Uphold Proposition 8 while still upholding the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already been performed.
• Uphold Proposition 8 and invalidate the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already been performed.

Clearly we are only interested in one of those three options… and it’s not either of the last two!

Organizations on both sides of the fight have been mobilizing since the announcement came that Tuesday is to be the big day. Many protests/celebrations have been planned around the US and Canada, ready for the decision to go either way, and there’s a good chance there’s a rally in your area. Check out the link below to find information: Click here for more