Westboro Baptist Church No Show Was a Win for Love

article & photos by Ken Pierce

Granite Bay, CA – February 3, 2014 –

Over one-hundred followers of the organization “Love is Love Movement” formed a line on the sidewalk in front of Granite Bay High School, framed as a “counter-presence” by local organizers began last Thursday evening. The only problem was there was no one to counter.

For several weeks the Westboro Baptist Church indicated on their Twitter page they would protest the opening night of Granite Bay High School Drama Department’s production of “The Laramie Project”. There was no indication on the bigoted organization’s web site though that it was a for sure thing and indeed they were a no-show.

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Kate, Julia & Meryl At The Movies - Plus Sexy Zac Efron Takes It All Off  

by Chris Narloch

Oscar season tends to be a good time to see strong women strut their stuff on the silver screen, as studios release new films that they hope will snag award nominations for their actresses. (The rest of the year, we get mainly male buddy comedies, male action movies, or hybrids of the two on the big screen.)

Below I review three films featuring a number of Oscar caliber performances by female actors. Two of these women – Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts -- received nods from the Academy this year, and you can learn their fates when funny woman Ellen DeGeneres hosts the live telecast of the Oscars on March 2.

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One Month Later: How California's Transgender Student Law Is Affecting Public Schools

Blogentary by LUKE BRINKER, Media Matters for America

One month after taking effect, California's new law allowing transgender students to use facilities and participate in programs that match their gender identities hasn't given rise to the horror stories predicted by the right-wing media, according to school officials around the state.

On August 12, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed the School Success and Opportunity Act, extending to transgender students statewide rights that had already been recognized by large school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District. 

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Boy George Set to Release First Studio Album In 18 Years

Boy George needs little introduction. With a career spanning over 30 years, he first shot to international stardom in the 1980’s as the front man of one of the UK’s biggest exports of the 20th Century, Culture Club.

A multi-racial band, with an openly gay front-man, Culture Club was ahead of the curve and went on to become the first group since The Beatles to have three Top Ten hits in the United States from a debut album alone.

Read more: Boy George Set to Release First Studio Album In 18 Years