Rep. Matt Windschitl

Iowa’s right wing is pushing for a vote on same-sex marriage. They’re using a new tactic.

In their decision, the Iowa Supreme Court cited state laws such as the anti-bullying law that includes protections for LGBT students.

So two Republicans in the Iowa House, Jason Schultz and Matt Windschitl, now want to remove protection for LGBT students to pave the way for an anti-same-sex marriage vote. They have filed the Exclude Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Students from Safe Schools Law.

Opponents of equality are showing just how desperate they have become. If other tactics don’t work, file a law that tells bullies to beat up LGBT kids. Simply, incite violence to get their way.

“I support them all the way,” Shami said of same-sex couples, adding that he believes it’s a question of personal freedom.

Strangely, though, White wasn’t allowed to respond to the question about same-sex marriage posed by Dave Montgomery of The Star-Telegram. The question came during a portion of the debate when both candidates were supposed to answer each question. Yet KERA’s Shelly Kofler interjected when it was White’s turn to answer and began a new question (an honest mistake?).

Of course, thanks to Dallas Voice, we already know White’s stated position on same-sex marriage: He supports civil unions instead. But it still would have been nice to hear him explain said position on live TV.

The Dallas Independent Volleyball Association is hoping you have a craving for Tex-Mex tonight. The organization and On the Border (this location) team up to support the sports group as it begins its new Spring season. For today only, 15% of  food and beverage purchases will be donated to DIVA. The event is welcome to all, however, they did not seem to list a time for any specific gathering of DIVAs. Just print out this flyer to be sure and get your discount.

Out frontman Jamie Stewart is barely seen in this one-shot vid but his cohort Angela Seo is the star here as she puts her gag reflex to the test. And if you make it to the end, the payoff is gross but kinda funny…if you’re into that sort of thing. But you know, I’ll just let you watch it (after the jump of course).

Xiu Xiu plays the Cavern in March.

When the View ladies ask her about her love life and if there might be some wedding bells in her near future, Sara immediately takes a stand for marriage equality, declaring that getting married right now in America is like joining a country club that won’t accept blacks or Jews.

I say, you go, Sara Silverman! I am going to watch your new show for sure now!

Sarah Palin spoke at the Tea Party Convention at the GAYlord Hotel in Nashville this weekend. Apparently, the Tea Partiers couldn’t afford a teleprompter, because Palin was caught with crib notes written across her hand.

The get-together attracted fewer than one-third the attendees as Creating Change in Dallas.

His vocals sounded good but the sound wavered off a bit by the end. The mike issue went unnoticed however, and he turned in a decent gig with covers of Erasure, The Doors and even Journey by way of Glee. Backup singers included other VOP finalists Mel Arizpe, Juliana Jeffrey and Robert Olivas. There was even an “awww” moment when he introduced his family who had come up from Brownsville to see his show.

Looking at this now, it’s a whole lot darker than I figured on. D’oh! But you should get the idea of the show.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross on Sunday “outed” Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker as a gay man. Walker, by the way, is the jurist who will, in the next few weeks, be issuing a ruling on whether California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in that state violates the U.S. Constitution.

In their article, Matier and Ross said Walker’s orientation is “the biggest open secret” in the Prop 8 lawsuit, and that gay lawyers and politicians in San Francisco don’t think the judge’s personal orientation will have any effect on his ruling. (Hmmm. Big surprise there. Surely Matier and Ross didn’t expect the gays to say the fact that the judge is gay gives the plaintiffs in the case an advantage, did they?)

But if the plaintiffs — the folks challenging Prop 8 — win, you can be DAMN SURE the defendants are going to make a big deal out of the fact that Walker is gay. And what if the defendants will in Walker’s court? What will the gay folks say about a gay judge that ruled against them? Apparently, Walker already has some experience with that: As Matier and Ross point out, he had to fight the reputation of being anti-gay when he was trying to get to be a judge because back in the 1980s, he successfully represented the U.S. Olympic Committee in a lawsuit to keep the San Francisco Gay Games from using the name “Gay Olympics.”

The columnists also point out that the case was assigned to Walker; he didn’t “seek it out,” and that he was appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush, someone not seen as particularly gay-friendly.

So, what do you think? Is it an advantage for gay marriage supporters that the judge hearing the case is gay? Or is it a hidden pitfall that will work against the gay marriage cause in the long run?