Comments on: Who’s 2008′s Homo Hero of the Year?

By: Michael McKeon

Michael McKeon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:36:41 +0000

I have been to every Prop 8 event in Los Angeles, and the L.A.P.D Men and Women were outstanding. They teated us all with repect and dignity.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

By: Ethan Q

Ethan Q — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:46:20 +0000

Kuddo’s to Chief Bratton! I remember the days when you could get a ticket by the LAPD for just having a rainbow sticker on your car. He’s done a fantastic job here with the LAPD, with Prop 8 and with the demonstrations and fully deserves this award.

Kuddo’s to QUEERTY for not going with a more “traditional” choice.

And Kuddo’s to the LA Times for the front page notice on their website!

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:19:41 +0000

Thanks Japhy. I’m make sure this information gets forwarded to the Chief.

By: Geoffrey

Geoffrey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:00:22 +0000

Hello Japhy Grant: Right, the routes were planned by an undergraduate at ucla in a meeting with the lapd. i think the police did set the route. and then congratulations on the secondary march afterwards, led by a man who swatted me away like a fly when i tried to say something. he had a megaphone, people listened to him i guess. seemed kind of like a sycophant to the policemen to me.

By: GING

GING — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:11:49 +0000

The LAPD was pretty good during the prop 8 protests. Although according to an older protester they did make LA look like Berlin 1935, with there strong presence. But the police force that is to be SHAMED is the LONG BEACH PD. Who hit people with sticks for simply being on the street after the official protest ended. My girlfriend was hit and has back pain to this day because of this!

By: d

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:19:37 +0000

i’m concerned at the lack of discussion of the lapd’s treatment of people of color, like there are no queer poc. mainstream white lgbt l.a. =/= all queers

By: Flex

Flex — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:14:47 +0000

@Phil: To hypocrite, top-posting, imbecile, troll. What did you add to the OP’s column? Who wrote a monologue? It’s you who doesn’t have anything to say. According to your logic, that makes you an airhead.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:17:46 +0000

Hey, run out of things to say? Because it seems to me that the standard retort of young, air-headed gays seems to be calling someone else old, bitter, or fat and then adding a queen to the end. I don’t see at all how he’s monologging, but I guess that’s all you’re capable of biting at.

By: Flex

Flex — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:52:08 +0000

@Leland Frances: You’re an old, bitter, queen, and its weird how you talk to yourself in your top-post to my comment.

By: Leland Frances

Leland Frances — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:28:16 +0000

Oh, fucking please! Buy a clue, Flex. AG Brown has become nothing more than a political parasite, whose conscience blows with the political wind.

He FOUGHT AGAINST legalizing gay marriage before the Supreme Court when HE DID NOT HAVE TO; then said he would administer Prop H8TE when HE DID NOT HAVE TO; now…just as he’s decided to run for governor again…he suddenly grows a conscience????

And those already starting to type a retarded “but it was HIS JOB to fight marriage in court blah blah blah” save your time to read some fucking history; grow some moral balls! It might have been in his job description but historical and legal precedent has determined that MORAL obligation outweighs legal obligation.

Adolph Eichmann, who drew up the highly efficient plans to transport millions of Jews [and others] to the Nazi death camps, famously defended himself in court by saying he was just doing HIS job. The Israelis still hung him. And Brown’s credibility should be hung out to dry.

He’s FINALLY doing the right thing [challenging Prop H8TE] for the wrong reason [currying favor among CA gay voters who would otherwise be eager to vote for SF Mayor Gavin Newsom if he runs for governor because HE was the straight political figure who had the balls...at GREAT cost to him politically (did ja see HIM on the podium at the Democratic National Convention? Nada!)...AND over a THOUSAND death threats...got the whole marriage equality issue in CA seriously started, and, at HIS direction the City of San Francisco sued to defend marriage equality only to have BROWN fight AGAINST it].

In short, celebrate Brown’s victory if he succeeds but do NOT celebrate the man. He’s NO HERO…just a political opportunist come late.

By: Flex

Flex — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:13:55 +0000

Yes, Mr. Bratton deserves a special thank you. However, there is another individual who deserves a special thank you. The man who may have already saved gay marriage in California, for his new novel legal theory, Attorney General Gerry Brown. This man has articulated why prop 8 is unconstitutional, better than we did. In doing so, he may de-claw the religious right from their obsessive use of ballot initiatives to vote away anything gay. If you don’t have a clue about what I’m saying, here is a link to his 111 page argument why prop 8 should be voided. It gets very interesting on pages 75-91. Happy reading!
http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachmen....._brief.pdf

By: tristram

tristram — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:44:38 +0000

Great choices – all worthy winners. Especially Matt Mitcham – a guy who pulled off an incredible performance, and is still waiting to see his first sponsorship dollar. But he’s handled it all with class and grace.

By: Japhy Grant

Japhy Grant — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:40:40 +0000

@Geoffrey: Hey Geoffrey- As I mentioned in the article, the police worked with protesters who DIDN’T follow the prescribed routes (which were set by ANSWER L.A. and Make an Impact, not the police) who did go to places that were visible. I agree the routes were bullshit, but blame the protest organizers, not the LAPD. If you had joined in the groups that didn’t just go home at the end, you would have seen that.

By: Geoffrey

Geoffrey — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:14:32 +0000

right, the police set up bullsh#t routes and we’re congratulating them. like the wonderful people who let everyone march back to weho, after leading us through some abandoned industrial district downtown, bypassing the exact places where we should have been marching….like the extremely busy part of downtown…where the mayor’s latino business constituency is… you know, the one he didn’t want to bother with a gay rights protest…you know, the street with tall buildings and an echo chamber. <-that’s where we all should have marched. but let’s be grateful that the lapd even let us march at all, i guess is what you’re saying.

By: Trenton

Trenton — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:28:39 +0000

I think Bratton was a brilliant pick and your write-up was excellent. An uplifting way to end the year, indeed!

By: seitan-on-a-stick

seitan-on-a-stick — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:15:42 +0000

Worst Cop of the Year should go to NYC Police Commish Ray Kelly (who will NEVER be Mayor) and his constant harassment of Gays in Gay establishments. You can take an Uzi into a Hip-hop club but don’t pull out your Big Cock at a urinal. FUCK the Homophobic NYPD who were just as dumb responding to 9-11 following their fearless leader, then Mayor Giuliani into harm’s way as there were heroes being lead by cowards.

NYPD – Young, dumb and full of Cum (for all the extortion of Gay foreigners and locals) which the New York media IGNORED! Yeah, Queerty ignored this as well!!!!! Getting rid of youth gangs in America is 50% of the problem (hello? loitering?)and then there are the REAL terrorists! Gays will, at worst, tell you that hat doesn’t go with that scarfe.

Thanks for acknowledging the bravity of Wanda Sykes coming out over Prop 8 (LOVE HER)and Aussie Matthew Mitcham (GAYS with GRACE!)

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:30:12 +0000

I would like to throw in another also ran – Neil Patrick Harris. He didn’t really do anything particularly out there, but his visibility on the small screen this year as a funny, engaging, GAY actor was refreshing.

By: Stephen Warwick

Stephen Warwick — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:37:54 +0000

I am an out gay detective officer in the (London) Metropolitan Police service, who came out at work, some 12 years ago. To see Chief William Bratton of the LAPD awarded this accolade warms my heart. I have a sister who lives in California. In years past I have known one or two LA County Sheriffâ€™s officers. I was surprised quite how many are gay/bi amongst their ranks. I was told how different things were for LAPD officers generally.

Here in England it is a patchwork quilt in relation to being a serving out gay/bi officer. In the big cities and further afield itâ€™s often no big deal nowadays. That said, institutional which is largely to say unwitting discrimination still persists though. This affects both serving officers and our own communities.

It seems that the LAPD are striving to overcome historic tensions and a history of poor service to LGB communities. All power to them and once again congratulations Chief Bratton; you command my respect.