Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Today on the Signorile Show

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP DEPT.: Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) announced this morning he will resign his position in the House because of an affair he had with a staffer -- a staffer with whom he made a video on the value of abstinence! We'll get into it all, yet another antigay moralist brought down.

Politicians wouldn't lie about service for their own political gains, would they? If you're Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, then perhaps yes. A front page story this morning in the New York Times is accusing Blumenthal, who is running for a Senate seat that Senator Dodd is giving up, of lying about his service during the Vietnam War, claiming he took steps to continuously avoid the war. He's saying it was a distortion. We'll get itno it.

Today is a very important day in the world of Washington leading up to this years mid-term elections, a year in which we see incumbents on the chopping block. Today, there are three very important primaries in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania, with results that strategists say could forecast what to expect in November. According to the Washington Post, "[T]he results are not likely to offer a single satisfying answer to how big Democratic losses might be in November. Rather, Tuesday's voters will drop clues on a variety of questions, about anti-incumbent sentiment, "tea party" power and presidential popularity."

We've been following the story of Steven Mojenza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawi gay couple who were arrested in December during a commitment ceremony at their home. They have been found guilty of "gross indecency and unnatural acts." There will be a hearing on May 20 for their sentencing, which could be up to 14 years of hard labor.

Yesterday, students from Arizona held a sit-in at Senator John McCain's Tucson offices, in protest of the recent immigration law that was passed. McCain, who has "in years past repeatedly sponsored a bill that would offer legalization for illegal immigrant students who were brought to the United States as children by their parents, known to its supporters as the Dream Act. But this year he has not." The students were arrested, three are here illegally. They are expected to face deportation proceedings.

Is immigration an issue that is a generational argument? According to a New York Times Article, yes. "In the wake of the new Arizona law allowing the police to detain people they suspect of entering the country illegally, young people are largely displaying vehement opposition — leading protests on Monday at Senator John McCain’s offices in Tucson, and at the game here between the Florida Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks.Meanwhile, baby boomers, despite a youth of “live and let live,” are siding with older Americans and supporting the Arizona law." Is this the issue that sparks debate between you, your parents, and your children?

Guest / 3:30pm EST - Since the immigration law in Arizona was passed last month, we have talked a lot about the aftermath of the debate. One area we haven't covered is how this effects gay binational couples. Joining us this afternoon, Steve Ralls, communications director of Immigration Equality.

Guest / 4:30pm EST - Gordon Grice, author of Deadly Kingdom: The Book Of Dangerous Animals, joins us this afternoon to tell the stories of some of the world's lethal animals, like how a jellyfish can manage to kill a man and why the chimpanzee is the most dangerous ape in the wild.

Is ABC avoiding a kiss between it's "Modern Family" gay couple Cameron and Mitchel? Many critics, who believe the show is a big step forward for the LGBT community in the media, believe the writers are worried about losing their mainstream audience. But creator Steven Levitan told Crushable.com, "“We don’t quite get that controversy... We think the vast majority of the gay community finds the Cameron and Mitchell depiction to be very positive. Here we are the first show on television to show a committed gay couple adopting a baby, raising a baby. It seems to me that there are better targets out there than us. That said, everything we’re doing is based on character and that very issue will be addressed next season. But it was our plan all along to do so.” Is this a controversy or is the show OK the way it is?

These stories and so much more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

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