Shockingly, kooky, right-wing Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona actually vetoed the kooky, right-wing legislature's kooky, right-wing birther bill after earlier calling it "interesting." She says:

"I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for president of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their 'early baptismal or circumcision certificates.' This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona."

I guess Governor Brewer is trying to say she may be kooky and right-wing, but she ain't that kooky and/or ain't that right-wing. Good for her. I respect her for drawing this line in the sand, if for very little else.

The Kids Are All Right, for which Annette Bening will be winning her first Oscar and for which Julianne Moore may be winning her first Oscar, will be on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download and On-Demand beginning November 16 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Definitely one of the year's best.

Cathleen Falsani is not a columnist I usually read—she's HuffingtonPost's "God Girl" religion writer. But her open letter to Madonna, praising her for her precedent-setting adoptions from Malawi that opened the door for Falsani's adoption of a son from that country, is deeply moving and open-hearted.

It reads, in part:

"Legal precedent! Case law! A miracle! A door swung open and a way had been made for us to become a legal family. It was a mitzvah created by many human (and divine) hands, including yours."

Thanks to his adoption, Falsani's son, Vasco (pictured), was able to receive life-saving open-heart surgery.

My Kid companion Giulio as poster child 

I was not wild about seeing The Kid, the comedic musical based on the book by sex columnist Dan Savage about his and his partner Terry Miller's adoption of a son (all three pictured). It just sounded like it might be one of those feel-good, not-good gay plays that nobody is willing to dislike. Also, while I usually agree with Savage, his ubiquitous presence as a pundit has made me wish we could have some other voices in our community, so I wondered if watching an entire cast give his ego a Broadway blowjob might be annoying. (It's sometimes fun watching other people get blowjobs, but something you just, you know, wish it were you.)

Plus he h-a-t-e-d Boy Culture in such an unfair way (all but calling it homophobic with an AFA comparison) that it really kinda stuck in my craw. And I never entirely got over his racially-tinged Prop 8 reaction. All of this just by way of full disclosure of my expectations!

Make room for daddies 

But you might wish you'd adopted after seeing The Kid (hurry up, y'all, it closes May 29th!), not because it's a fluffy, rah-rah take on parenthood but because it's painfully honest and self-deprecating—in the same way that Dan (Christopher Sieber, in an effortlessly charming, vocally winning performance) and Terry (a likable Lucas Steel) have an awkwardly no-B.S. meeting with an adoption worker that actually endears them to her in the musical, the musical's honesty and well-placed irreverence makes becoming a parent seem like a responsibility for us all. The show would appeal to anyone not beside themselves with homophobia, but I would say its unique tone is perfectly gay—after all, we like to pet the elephant in the room.

Globe (May 24, 2010) is filled with appalling stories this week. First up, how about the 49-year-old mother who buys Botox on the Internet and shoots up her 15-year-old daughter's face herself? (Her six-year-old has already begun bugging her about a boob job.) 

And yet gays can't adopt in many states.

Then there is the one about the couple who met in a hotel bar and married 17 hours later.

And yet gays can't marry in most states.

Finally, I was so sad to read that the late Dana Plato's look-alike 25-year-old son had committed suicide. No gay angle, just a shame. Some families are just cursed.

George Alan Rekers (whose name is pronounced "Reekers," "Reckers" and "Raykers" depending on whom you listen to) says "I am not gay and never have been." Anderson Cooper hasn't said that, but his hands-off treatment of the story—sending a different reporter to speak with sex worker Jo-Vanni Roman might be due to his decision long ago not to be out professionally.

Rachel Maddow, who is out, sinks her teeth into the story in a much more meaningful and critical way. I mean, Cooper's show spends so much time parroting Rekers's denials it almost felt like they were avoiding being too distasteful. Well, anus massages aren't as distasteful as gay people being denied adoptive and marriage and other rights.

I hope Jo-Vanni (pictured)—whose interview with CNN was reduced to a couple of words, mainly saying that Rekers got excited by his massages but that "no sex" happened—will talk with Rachel. Maybe once he sees both shows' treatment of the story he'll consider it. Joe?

P.S. I will say that Wayne Besen has a great line in CNN's report, that Rekers thinks we should rent boys, not adopt them. Zing!

When the United States can be so angry with incumbents (many of whom happen to be Democrats, thanks to the previous backlashes against the horrendous missteps made and crimes committed by Republicans before them) that its voters seem in the mood to toss them all out, handing control back to the right wing, it's hard for me to think of our country's citizens as very bright. People don't seem to overly care about the most partisan issues as long as they are able to live in an unspectacular but contented state; when the going gets tough, they want to throw the bums out, even if the bigger bums are the alternative.

For example, it baffles me that someone like Mike Huckabee is considered a nice guy and a mainstream Republican and is on the short list of possible Republican presidential (or vice-presidential, more likely) contenders in '12, and yet he will say things like the following regarding gay people adopting:

The 'Net is rife with rumors that Madonna's next single is imminent, and that it's a David Guetta masterpiece called "Boom."

Cue jokes about her dwindling interest in complex lyrics.

In response to Stefano Gabbana (horrible anti-gay gay) earlier Tweeting about the eyewear campaign D&G did with MLVC, a commenter here wrote something to the effect of "the really big boom is coming next month," which means either the speculation is true OR that some clever queen used that vague Tweet to justify his love of spreading Madonna rumors.

Regardless, at least some claim this will be the anthem of the summer. (If it comes out in a month and stays popular for another three.) Exciting.

Mexican icon Paquita La Del Barrio is known for being outspoken—often, she's sticking up for women vs. a culture of machoism. (Or just plain hates on men, depending on how you view her.)

But you know she's fucked up when for the first time since I can remember, I got links about her from a dozen readers imploring me to expose her shockingly ignorant comments.

She's not just against gay adoption, she would rather see a child DIE than be adopted by a gay couple. Any public figure who fantasizes about children dying deserves to become a complete outcast.

The streetwalkers hosting the show this is taken from don't seem to be doing much for our cause either, except for the one who rightfully points out that some opinions are not valid. I believe that. There are some opinions so extreme that they don't deserve to be passively lumped in with the concept of "we all have a right to our opinions." When someone is hoping children die rather than be adopted by gay people, that is a sociopathic opinion. She may have a right to it, but it's not valid, rational or humane—and it should no more be tolerated and "respected" than should the opinions of any other sociopath.