The New York Post's David Benkof ain't about the gay marriage battle: "The Human Rights Cam paign, America's largest gay-rights group, recently announced plans to spend at least a half-million dollars to defeat the California Marriage Protection Act. What a waste; gays and lesbians have far more urgent needs. The Golden State constitutional amendment poses no substantive threat to them - it will take nothing away from same-sex couples but the word "marriage." Even if HRC wants Californians to vote no on the initiative, $500,000 is a lot to spend on a struggle to retain an unpopular court victory that's only semantic and symbolic." [NY Post]

Barack Obama’s gay push continues.

In addition to releasing a gay pride message yesterday, the Senator’s campaign last night organized an impromptu conference call for about 1200 Democratic supporters. While ostensibly meant to inform the Democratic candidate’s constituents, the call served another, far more important purpose: rallying Senator Hillary Clinton’s supporters.

In fact, the former contender’s name arose within seconds of the call’s commencement, when Obama's deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand began, “It is a very important time for our country, our party, for Senator Obama and Senator Clinton.”

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The general election officially began this week, so we imagined that the Log Cabin Republicans would make good on their post-primary word and endorse John McCain. They have not.

President Patrick Sammon did tell us this morning, however, that he and his peers will likely back the Arizona Senator at some point over the next month have not yet backed McCain, but will make a decision within the next month.

In the meantime, the political group has turned its sights on Human Rights Campaign, which this week released a scathing report on McCain's gay record.

And, as part of a larger effort to set things straight, Cabin member Scott Tucker took to the blogosphere to school us on McCain's virtues.

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Human Rights Campaign endorsed Barack Obama today. Said the group's president, Joe Solmonse: "Senator Obama has consistently shown that he understands, as we do, that, GLBT rights are civil rights, and human rights. Senator Obama has said that embracing ‘our gay brothers and sisters’ is true to Martin Luther King’s vision; I know that Senator Obama’s vision is one of equality, fairness, and justice for all of us." [HRC]

The gay non-profit today released a six-page report emphasizing all of the Republican's anti-gay ways. Their conclusion: McCain's nothing but an older, grayer, less courageous Bush. [Prune-tang?]

So, gays for McCain, let this be a lesson to you: don't do it.

See an even more explicit dissection - and the report - after the jump…

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Human Rights Campaign will release a six-page report on John McCain's lackluster gay record. One McCain biographer who saw the report remarked: "This report by the Human Rights Campaign makes it is clear that John McCain would bring the same right-wing bias and politically expedient flip flops to GLBT policy as he does to the rest of the policy arena." [POQ]

Human Rights Campaign's getting in on the gay marriage action by pledging $500,000 to fight right wing attempts to ban same-sex nuptials in the Golden State. Said president Joe Solmonese, "With the $500,000 commitment to Equality for All today, HRC aims to ensure that California remains a state where every person has the opportunity to realize their hopes and dreams by being able to marry the person they love." [HRC]

Dealing with hospitals as a homo can be quite the pain. For example, one may not be able to advise on medical treatment for a "partner" to whom they're not officially married.

In an effort to make things easier for the queers, Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association teamed up for the Healthcare Equality Index, a handy guide to gay friendly hospitals across the country:

Just over half of 88 hospitals got top marks under a new rating system created by two national gay-rights organizations which hope the standards will result in more compassionate treatment of gay and lesbian patients.

Policies addressed in the ratings include patient nondiscrimination, visitation and decision-making rights for partners, diversity training for staff, and nondiscriminatory employment practices.

The hospitals participated voluntarily, and the groups behind the report said there will be no effort to rate hospitals which don't want to respond. Instead, they hope many hospitals will strive for high ratings as the survey recurs annually.

The Index also includes prescriptions for good gay medicine, like including "transgender" as a gender choice and "partner" as a relationship status. No word on whether "top" and "bottom" will be suggested.

"Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese met with a handful of transgender activists in Atlanta last week and apologized for “misspeaking” at last year’s Southern Comfort conference, where he promised HRC would only support an Employment Non-Discrimination Act that included gender identity, according to people attending the meeting… HRC supports including gender identity in ENDA, but urged Congress members to vote in favor of [Barney] Frank’s sexual orientation-only bill as an incremental strategy." [SoVo]

Human Rights Campaign just announced Clergy Call 2009, an interfaith effort to raise queer awareness among the pious folk. Here's what president Joe Solmonese had to say about the event, “America’s clergy are transforming our nation one congregation at a time and making it easier for Members of Congress to stand for equality. These trainings will encourage participants to take their conversations to the next level and work for change in the public sphere.” Those of you interested in salvation should sign up and feel the spirit [HRC]

Human Rights Campaign's dirty tricks are catching up with them.

Yesterday the non-profit's VP of policy, David Smith, went on Michelangelo Signorile's radio show to explain why he and his peers aren't endorsing homo-politico Jim Neal.

Smith also attempted to clear up why they're endorsing Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who supported anti-gay judges like Sam Alito, but the group chose not to endorse Oregonian politician Gordon Smith, who has also been a gay ally…

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Allen Roskoff's never been afraid to voice his opinion. Well, that's not true. Like so many of the lavender set, the New York-based activist once hid in the closet, but found himself out and proud after falling in with the Gay Activist Alliance, one of our city's first post-Stonewall rights groups.

Now, as president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Roskoff remains one of the most progressive activists this side of the Mississippi. In fact, it was an email from Roskoff that spurred the following exchange with our editor.

Some of you may recall last week's story about anti-gay "cult" Aesthetic Realism. Well, Roskoff wrote to us and regaled us with tales of how he and his GAA pals used to rail against the group.

Always intrigued by tales of homo history, we asked Roskoff if he'd like to elaborate for you, our darling readers. And he graciously agreed.

Read what Roskoff has to say about the Realism movement, gay activism's golden years, why homos need to stop cheering for Hillary Clinton, how Barney Frank and HRC do more harm than good, and why Barack Obama must be the Democratic nominee - after the jump, naturally.

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Homo-journo and avowed bear Andrew Sullivan has some questions about Human Rights Campaign's garbage reaction to Clinton-endorsing Mike Easley's "pansy" remark: "I wonder if HRC ran this by the staff at the Hillary Rodham Clinton camp first? Or would that have been superfluous?" [Daily Dish]

We love a good homo-politic cat fight, don't you?

Former Reprise Records president and activist Howie Klein appeared on Michelangelo Signorile's radio show yesterday to rail against Human Rights Campaign for not endorsing North Carolina Senatorial hopeful Jim Neal, who happens to be gay. HRC claims they couldn't make up their mind between Neal and his party rival, Kay Hagan, a veteran Senator.

So, rather than making an endorsement, they're going to let North Carolinian voters decide. And Klein's not having it.

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If you've ever wanted to see "lackluster" in action, look no further. As you most likely remember, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley caused a stink yesterday when he endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying, "[She] makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy."

Well, loads of homos were offended by Easley's remark, but even more so by Clinton's silence on the matter. The Senator has long been a gay favorite, so one would hope she could find the balls to speak out against Easley, who many claim uttered the dreaded "hate speak".

In fact, one reader reminded us that Mrs. Clinton once vowed to denounce any hate speech in her campaign. During MSNBC's February debate, while discussing Louis Farrakhan, Clinton took on Obama for "rejecting," rather than "denouncing" the anti-Israel leader. Mrs. Clinton went on to say, "We cannot let anyone in any way say these things because of the implications that they have, which can be so far reaching."

The aforementioned reader wondered whether the presidential nominee would make good on her promise. We seriously doubt it.

GLAAD and Human Rights Campaign are acting equally lame…

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