Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (December 04, 2009)

ASSHAT OF THE WEEK
When I started working on the column on Wednesday, it seemed like there was going to be a rather thin crop of Asshat candidates. Ha! We should be so lucky, right? By Thursday I was having trouble narrowing it down what with ABC dropping Adam Lambert, Stanford Cardinal football coach Jim Harbaugh apparently calling a referee a f***ing faggot during a game, Uganda looking like it is going to pass horrible anti-gay legislation, Rick Warren for not condemning that law and so forth. 

Sigh... Maybe one day I really won't have many candidates to choose from. Anyway, here are this week's nominees!

1) ABC

WHY? Due to mysterious "pressure" from the FCC, the network suddenly disinvited Adam Lambert from performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and New Year's Rockin' Eve without any reasonable explanation. And in that one move, ABC replaces NBC as the network with the most to answer for when it comes to gays on TV.

2) Vallejo, CA Mayor Osby Davis and the "faith community" of Vallejo

WHY? A recent New York Times article detailed a growing backlash against the gay community in Vallejo, California where Mayor Davis, who narrowly defeated a gay man for the mayorship last year, recently said:

“They’re committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven,” he said. “But you don’t hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit.” Told his outspoken religious passion might rattle some, he said: “That means that they have a problem, and not me. I’m just as passionate about my faith as someone is about the Oakland Raiders football team. No one says a word when someone rides down the street with their body all painted up yelling, ‘Go Raiders!’ If I start yelling, ‘Go Jesus! Praise God!’ someone gets upset.”

Osby later tried to claim his comments were taken out of context, a claim the NYT refuted by releasing audio of the interview. 

As for the evangelical community of Vallejo, the NYT reports they have specifically targeted gay candidates for defeat, accused gay candidates of having "hidden agendas" against Christianity, and generally mistreated gay candidates.

You know, just like Jesus would.  

3) Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan

WHY? The Cardinal told an Italian website that:

Transsexuals and homosexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven and it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul. ...  People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence. It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God.

Being the great humanitarian that he is, Cardinal Barragan went on to say that despite all of the above, this didn't justify discrimination against homosexuals which would no doubt come as a great surprise to Bishop Richard Joseph Malone of Portland, Maine, the Pope and the majority of Catholic officials around the world who have opposed virtually every gay rights measure.

The Vatican later issued a "rebuke", saying the website to which Barragan spoke should not be considered an authority when it comes to Catholic thinking “on complex and delicate issues such as homosexuality." Wow! Talk about a smackdown. Bah... 

WHY? On Wednesday New York State finally voted on marriage for gays and lesbians. Sadly, what had been expected to be a very close vote turned into an unexpectedly lopsided 38-24 defeat. While it's important to note that not a single Republican voted for the bill, it was the defection of a number of Democrats who had previously supported marriage equality that helped torpedo the measure. 

Extra boos go to Senator Joseph Addabbo who has not only previously supported gay marriage equality, but has had no trouble taking generous contributions from GLBT groups, and to Senator Ruben Diaz who has long opposed marriage equality and called the vote "treason." 

As for the Republicans, let's just say they all automatically earn Asshat status. And Rod 2.0 points out the one of measure's biggest supporters were New York state's African American senators who voted 8 to 2 for the bill. 

Poll has closed. Check back Monday on the blog for results.

P.S. Look for Uganda and Rick Warren to appear when that incredibly homophobic law passes.

Next page! Who do you think should top the final year end Power Rankings?