193 Reason to Have Pride: Part Two

Because
WE WORK THE NEW MEDIA
Well, we did help to create it, after all — Chris Hughes was one of the founders of Facebook (and Peter Thiel was an early investor). But we keep finding new ways to use it to advance our causes. Many of the demonstrations against Proposition 8, antigay corporate donations, and “don’t ask, don’t tell” were publicized on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. The YouTube generation has brought us not only cute gay parodies of Katy Perry songs but also political news, like this year’s mayoral election preview by Chicago’s Video Action League, which has also put footage of its Valentine’s Day marriage protest and other actions online. This medium, says Video Action League cofounder Lindsey Dietzler, is key to “inspiring new people to care about the issues.” Online video’s coming from other nations as well: No matter what you think of pie-throwing as a form of protest, a European group’s recent custardy bombardment of Belgium’s antigay Catholic archbishop made for mesmerizing viewing.

  Because
THERE’S ENOUGH LESBIANS WHO LOOK LIKE CONAN O’BRIEN TO WARRANT A BLOG
Coco-like ladies rule on LesbiansWhoLookLikeConanOBrien.Tumblr.com — so no need to bring up those oh-so-2010 Justin Bieber references anymore.

Because
THERE’S A VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT GAY PEOPLE COULD LEAD NEW YORK CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO
Both Christine Quinn, the current speaker of the New York city council, and San Francisco’s Bevan Dufty, a former city supervisor, are in strong positions to take over as mayor in their respected metropolises. Dufty is hoping to take the seat once held by California lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom and U.S. senator Dianne Feinstein, while Quinn is a likely contender to succeed hizzoner Michael Bloomberg in 2013.

 Because
DAVE FRANCO AND MCLOVIN FROM SUPERBAD MADE THE MOST HOMOEROTIC FUNNY OR DIE VIDEO EVER
In the homoerotic “You’re So Hot” video, Dave Franco proves he’s just as sexually provocative as his brother James when he teams up with Superbad actor Chris Mintz-Plasse for a game of verbal one-upmanship in which the two graphically describe sex acts they want to perform on each other. Get ready to add the phrase “World War II–style” to your vocabulary.

 Because
IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER
Edited by Dan Savage with partner Terry Miller and born out of their It Gets Better antibullying initiative, the new It Gets Better anthology collects more than 100 inspirational essays from ordinary folks and celebrities ranging from Tim Gunn to President Obama. All of the proceeds from the book benefit LGBT youth charities, and a $25 donation can put a copy in a school library of your choice.

Because
WE SPEND CASH ON WEDDINGS TOO

With the average wedding costing about $20,000, suddenly adding gay couples to the throngs of couples forking over cash for a seven-piece band, tiered cakes, and a photographer equipped with a wind machine and soft lighting may not seem like such a terrible boost to the economy. Since Washington, D.C., legalized marriage for same sex-couples in 2010, the local wedding industry has reported an increase in business, with the Williams Institute projecting a rise of $52.2 million in wedding-related spending there during the first three years of marriage equality.