"MY LITTLE MARGIE"

That was the name of a very early TV Show starring GALE STORM
Another storm brewing here in L.A is the demonstrations against the Passage of Prop 8 Which for one of the first times in California history formally wrote discrimination into law & eliminated the rights of one minority by virtue of a vote at the ballot box
Sadly I have been unable to attend most of the recent demonstrations to work comittments. One I was able to go to was tonight's demonstration against the restaurant, EL COYOTE in Hollywood. Why demonstrate in front of an extremely mediocre restaurant in Hollywood, you may well ask? And the Answer is my little Margie
Margie Christofferen is the manager & heiress of El COYOTE, her parents apparently owned the joint 50 years ago. Here's the AP:

But Marjorie Chrisoffersen, who is also a Mormon, is not feeling good about her actions. She wants to speak to people about it tomorrow before lunch at the restaurant on Beverly Blvd. near La Brea:

I have been sick at heart that anyone has been offended by me. I have family, friends, employees from the gay community who are treasured people in my life.
I have been a member of the Mormon church all my life. I responded to their request with my personal donation.

For years the El Coyote has financially and generously supported the gay community and its charities.

Please be my guest for an early lunch Wed., Nov. 12th, @ 11:00 am and allow me to personally speak with you.

Please call and make a reservation as seating is limited. (323) 939-2255.

Margie

"I think she saw how it affected her pocketbook and freaked," said SFist Editor Brock Keeling who pointed us towards the statement.

Sources say that the restaurant was full for MARGIE'S APOLOGY LUNCH but also that they only took reservations for 70!!

I was so shocked this evening to see dozens of patrons willing to cross a picket line. Imagine pulling into a parking lot of a Mexican Restaurant with hundreds of people with signs screaming "SHAME ON YOU!!" & "HATE ON A PLATE!" & fighting mightily for their civil rights & all YOU care about is your poorly made FAJITAS & BAD MARGARITAS!! WHO are these people?
I counted at least one dozen cars willing to cross the line of folks demanding their civl rights. My credulity was at last strained beyond belief when two young good looking guys with great teeth (!!!!) & clearly BOYFRIENDS exited their PRIUS, explaining that they were MORMONS!!! WHich is the only possible answer! Due to the physical similarity between the 2 dozen or so patrons who were willing to stand on the WRONG side of history!!!
Now I am sorry. On the surface it is just one old lady donating $100 to a cause because her church told her so! I get it. I still consider myself a Catholic. But when my church demands I vote YES on 8 or NO on 4! (Parental Notification of Abortion) or to donate more money to get Pedophile Priests off the hook...I just say NO!!!!! Because it is the right thing to do & I have a fully informed Christian Conscience...I know when to say NO! Margie!!! I'm sorry you do not! And I am sorry that EL COYOTE will be forever off limits for my brothers & sisters in the Gay Commmunity!
Also sorry that we cannot, MUST NOT ever stay in a MARRIOTT HOTEL, EAT AT EL POLLO LOCO, CORNER BAKERY CAFE, Buy FISHER PRICE TOYS, OR BLACK & DECKER TOOLS ...ever again too but more on all these BIGOTED Companies later
Photos above taken with my IPHONE & YES! They suck But funny the one I did capture! Ironic a Company with so much attention to PARKING IN THE REAR turns out to be soooo homophobic

Post Polling Depression

"Our long National Nightmare has come to an end” - President Gerald R Ford on assuming the Presidency after Nixon's resignation.

Wheeeewww! It’s over right? So sorry to have not posted in quite awhile. It’s been an interesting week. Rather than sit around biting my nails & reading exit polls, I decided to volunteer to be a Poll Worker for Los Angeles County this past election day. It was quite the experience.

You have to arrive at the polling place (Hollywood Women’s Club for me!) to help set up. When I pulled at 5:45 am there were already people lined up though the polling place did not open til 7:00 a.m. And it was RAINING! Wow! I thought this is going to be interesting.

The line eventually wrapped around the long blocks between Franklin Ave. & Hollywood Blvd. But people were so nice & so patient and frankly so HAPPY to be voting, that it felt a privilege to help them do it. You obviously cannot discuss politics if you are playing a official role. But there was one family who came in mid-day that I just wanted to leap up & embrace. African American father, white mother & 2 beautiful sons. The Mom was practically jumping up & down waiting in line. And she could simply not wipe the broad smile off her face. She already had her documentation out and as they approached holding their sons by the hand, she looked at me; and I thought we would both burst into tears. “Great day!” I managed to utter. “It surely is!” she replied & then raced off to the nearest booth. Father & mother each took one child into the voting booth with them. And I wondered if these 2 small children could even appreciate the significance of what they were witnessing.

One thing I could have lived without were the God damn “Write In” people. There were only a few thank God. Yes, I know, as Americans we all have the right to vote for whomever we wish, whether they are running or not. Yep, you can just write in any name you like at the top of your ballot. Think your DAD would make a great President, sign him up! Really miss Hillary Clinton (really?) write her in. The pain on the ass part is that you need a special write in ballot with blank slots at the top. So I had about four of these requests in the 13 hours that the polls were open. I was rather annoyed thinking: ”Come on people! O.K. so your guy or girl isn’t among the nominees. Are you just going to piss your vote away?” But I did my duty & gave them the appropriate ballot. Imagine my delight at learning hours later as we recorded the ballots that two of the write-ins were for PARIS HILTON!!!!!!!! Well, she was running right? But seriously! You waited in line for nearly an hour to vote for PARIS for PRESIDENT!!!???? I’m thinking now that there should be some kind of IQ test for voters! Not ALL RIGHTS should be given to all People!

Which is clearly what many, many people were thinking as CALIFORNIANS voted to write discrimination into LAW! Sadly Proposition 8 (or PROP HATE as it is known in my neighborhood) passed by a slim majority. I’ll likely have a lot more to say on that as the story unfolds (Boycott UTAH!!!-The Hate State CANCEL SUNDANCE! (film festival) RESCIND Tax Exempt Status for Churches Acting as Political Organizations!!) but just let me now just register my profound disappointment & disgust.

For almost 2 years, I have imagined waking up on November 5th, to a whole new world. And I did. I didn’t realize though that the joy & relief I would feel at Obama’s election to the Presidency would be so sourly surpassed by the personal rejection I felt at the hands of my fellow Californians who still think it just that I & my fellow gays keep riding on the back of the bus. Even today, looking at the photos of one of my favorite political rituals where the President-Elect comes calling on the current President as a courtesy, sort of a political Open House Tour…I felt elation then a gnawing guilt. YEA! WE WON!!! Oh no, YOU won; me & mine…we’re still waiting. And every goose-bump feels like a betrayal.

And the little puffs of smoke spell HATE

Well, gosh! Who doesn't love a skywriter?
Something magically childish about looking up in the sky to watch a plane spell out a message or even an advertisement.
Today I was at a TV Studio when I looked up again with wonder to watch a skywrite spell out: YES ON PROP 8!
Which as you all well know would legally ELIMINATE my RIGHT to Marry in the State of California. Nauseating!

Perhaps because it has one of the greatest BROADWAY Anthems ever & I do LOVE a SHOW TUNE but whatever; I still think this is the most clever, funny & moving video of the campaign! And what better way to finish out this election season




Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store.
One more dawn,
one more day,
one day more!