Proposition 8 was overturned, and now we have to see that lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres as the new face of JCPenney? Where on EARTH will I shop now? Ladies, we’ve got to do something about this. Let’s protest that crazy talk show host so that her homosexuality doesn’t taint all our kids’ back-to-school clothes and our Christmas shopping.

Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating the thought process of a member of One Million Moms, a conservative group that’s got their high-leg briefs in a twisted bunch because out and proud Ellen Degeneres is the new JCPenney spokesperson. The group issued a statement following the company’s announcement:

“Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families. More sales will be lost than gained unless they replace their spokesperson quickly. Unless JC Penney decides to be neutral in the culture war then their brand transformation will be unsuccessful…By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, JCPenney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these years.”

Fox News contributor Sandy Rios, who supports the One Million Moms perspective, summed up this week’s Hot Button Issue while on The O’Reilly Factor: ”The problem is that Ellen DeGeneres has chosen to act out her lesbian lifestyle and marry her partner, it’s what that represents,” she said. “And the fact that JCPenney is supposed to be middle America, the place where families shop…and people who believe that marriage is between a man and woman and children should not be exposed and propagandized in homosexuality have a moral problem with that.”

Well I’m sorry, Sandy, and the members of One Million Moms, but America—the land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the brave—is changing. And for the better. Thank goodness it’s been allowed to change, or else women would never be able to proudly make a buck in any workplace and we’d still stupidly have slaves everywhere who each only count as three-fifths of a person. Though the country has managed to acknowledge the basic human right of being considered an entire person to these minority groups, why can’t such a given be also applied to those who aren’t perfectly heterosexual? Those who choose to be both free AND brave?

If you’re protesting Ellen’s employment with JCPenney, you’re asking that the company discriminates based on her sexual orientation. Hm, discrimination definitely sounds like one of “the negative influences our children are forced to contend with”—you know, the part of society’s “filth” that you should be working to fight, rather than avoiding the hilarious and kindhearted Ellen Degeneres and every product she’s ever endorsed. I’m guessing you’re missing out on the greatness that is CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara and the daily dose of awesome on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Oh man, your kids must have never even seen the movie Finding Nemo! Do you tell them that they can’t go on the Submarine Voyage ride at Disneyland because that funny blue fish is the voice of an evil lesbian?!

Oh, and by pushing Ellen down and calling her names, you’re being a bully. That’s right, One Million Moms, all 40,000 of you are guilty of anti-gay bullying.

Thankfully, the group’s protests and cries were no matter for the department store, as the company stood behind their decision. And yesterday, the free and brave Ellen Degeneres addressed her haters and, therefore, her motivators, on her talk show. ”I’m proud and happy to say that JCPenney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson. Which is great news for me because I also need some new crew socks.”

On a more serious notes, she continued, “I really want to thank everyone who is supporting me…Here are the values I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you’d want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That’s what I stand for.“

To be honest, I’m surprised that One Million Moms even had the time to jumpstart a JCPenney protest. The group has also requested action against Macy’s, ABC’s Modern Family and Mattel. Don’t shop at Target for promoting the destructive program that is Degrassi, don’t watch Dancing With The Stars because the show “aired a definition of ‘transgender’” and don’t support Ben & Jerry’s because of their “tasteless” ice cream flavor names. Thank goodness—that means there’s more Schweddy Balls for me!

Watch Ellen’s full speech now. It’s hilarious, it’s heartwarming, it’s all things Ellen Degeneres.

Should JCPenney be concerned about losing conservative customers? Or will they gain more respect for taking a stand?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

It’s not easy being gay. In a world where heterosexuality is the norm and homosexuality has often been seen as more than just a religious taboo throughout history—you know, when legitimately recognized at all, that is—the LGBT community has worked tirelessly to declare that sexual preference is not a “preference” at all; instead, the nature vs. nurture arguments now lean more toward a “I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way” mantra. However, is it necessarily a winner-takes-all conclusion in the homosexuality debate? According to Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, maybe there’s more than one way to be gay. And ton of people are pissed off about it.

I’m pissed off too, to be honest. I’m pissed off at the people who are pissed off about it. In this week’s Hot Button Issue, I invite you to read the following carefully, because a lot of vocal opinions on the Internet are getting it all just a little bit twisted…in my opinion.

Actress Cynthia Nixon, whom we know as Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City, has always been a peculiar case study for the LGBT community: she was happily in a relationship with a man for 15 years (they even had two kids together), but she’s been dating a woman since 2004. Though her sexual orientation seemed to have made a switch, she has said in the past that she didn’t feel like she was necessarily lying to herself or hiding anything. ”I’d been with men all my life, and I’d never fallen in love with a woman,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2007. ”But when I did, it didn’t seem so strange. I’m just a woman in love with another woman.”

Many gay activists call her midlife switch in sexual orientation disingenuous, and Nixon chose to defend her relationship by controversially stating that for her, homosexuality is a choice. She explained to the New York Times Magazine:

“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not.”

Opponents argue that defining Nixon’s gayness isn’t about Nixon at all; it’s about how she’s abusing her elevated platform as a celebrity with comments that can not only further confuse young people who are struggling with their sexuality in silence, but also give conservatives some free ammunition to use against the LGBT community as they continue to fight for equal civil rights. Unfortunately, this is partly true, as people who are famous for something seem to automatically become spokespeople and advocates for something else (Demi Lovato fighting eating disorders, Rihanna speaking up against domestic violence, etc.). Cynthia Nixon just wants to worry about Cynthia Nixon, but she may have given up that right when she signed on for her first big acting role.

The thing about Nixon is that she refuses to call herself bisexual; she genuinely states that she was straight before, but she’s gay now. Political blogger and gay activist John Aravosis called her out on the supposed misnomer of her sexual orientation: “It’s not a ‘choice,’ unless you consider my opting to date a guy with brown hair versus a guy with blonde hair a ‘choice.’ It’s only a choice among flavors I already like.  And if you like both flavors, men and women, you’re bisexual, you’re not gay, so please don’t tell people that you are gay, and that gay people can ‘choose’ their sexual orientation, i.e., will it out of nowhere.  Because they can’t.”

Supporters of Nixon’s views say that whether people of the LGBT community say their sexual orientation is rooted in nature or nurture, it won’t actually make a positive difference in fighting the good fight. “Ask African Americans if they think being ‘born that way’ helped during the hundreds of years they fought for equal rights, or ask women about being born that way and how that helped get the right to vote or other rights,” wrote Windy City Times editor Tracy Baim in The Huffington Post. She also pointed out that religion is also a ‘choice’ that right-wing opponents seem to recognize, but ignore that of gender or sexuality. “If they hate us, they hate us, and how we got this way just doesn’t compute in their narrow minds.”

And after seeing both sides of the Hot Button Issue and agreeing with all the good intentions on the table, I feel like these members of the LGBT community are simply arguing over technicalities at this point. If being gay means something different to Cynthia Nixon than it does to John Aravosis, then can’t both definitions exist? She isn’t attacking anyone else’s sexuality; she’s only speaking out about her own. Why attack a fellow soldier whose sword isn’t even threatening you at all? Like Tracy says, there’s a different enemy that the community might be losing sight of, because of this.

Actually, both sides seem to still have a common goal in mind: so many say that these comments will confuse young kids who are currently debating and simply trying to figure their way around what they’re feeling, but what seems to be more confusing to me, a straight person in shock of all this controversy, is how these people of the LGBT community seem to be attacking each other’s worth. Does this environment seem like a safer place than the world where one is held against a harsh heterosexual standard, a place where you won’t be judged by your sexual orientation? Even more so, maybe Nixon’s controversial comments will actually help those young people out there who actually hope to choose to be gay but didn’t know they could! Can people still explore their sexuality after being in a heterosexual relationship or two? Yes, says Cynthia Nixon, you can, and it doesn’t necessarily negate the love you had for those of the opposite sex at the time.

And if we’re gonna get technical about timelines and titles, is a virgin who has never been in a relationship still straight, even if she’s never found a man she’s been attracted to? Just a thought.

I know it’s an important conversation, but it’s not that important and worth fighting over to the point where people forget what is actually worth fighting FOR. And sadly, that greater fight is still far from over. Whether “born this way” or bred into another, Cynthia Nixon is simply saying that we are who we are, right here, right now, and that’s all that matters. That’s all that needs to be accepted, at any point. “Why can’t it be a choice? Why is that any less legitimate?” Nixon asked in the NYT interview. “It seems we’re just ceding this point to bigots who are demanding it, and I don’t think that they should define the terms of the debate.”

Who is to say who we’ll be attracted to tomorrow, and who is to blame for who you were attracted to yesterday? Whether straight, gay, bisexual, or still figuring it out, your sexual orientation is yours and yours alone, and the only person who could ever have any kind of definition on the matter is the one you love, because that person’s gender—not their opinion—might change that label.

Can homosexuality be a choice for some people? Are Cynthia Nixon’s comments completely out of line, or are John Aravosis’ blogs overstepping personal boundaries?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I frequently heard mixed opinions about gay marriage. While LA is fairly liberal, I have, too many times, witnessed homophobic responses to two men holding hands on the street or out on a date. Truthfully, for a long time I tried to avoid having an opinion about gay marriage because I was always hearing mixed messages and both sides seemed convincing. “It goes against the bible. Your religion.” Or, “everyone has the right to marry the one they love.”  I struggled with my opinion for quite a while.

However, especially since going to college, I have been able to form my own opinion free from those around me. Out Magazine recently did an adorable photo shoot spread with Neil Patrick Harris and his “better half,” David Burtka. The article describes the men’s relationship in a way that only fortifies my belief that all people should be able to get married, regardless of sexual orientation. Part of this article is an argument against the belief that two gay men can’t have a family because they can’t reproduce. They are not any different than two parents of opposite sexes. This article also argues against the belief that gay marriage destroys the sanctity of marriage. To be honest, it seems to me that Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka’s relationship may be more stable than most heterosexual relationships I see around me.

Ashley is a freshman at George Washington University and she’s majoring in Overanalyzing Situations and International Affairs. Follow her on twitter @ashleybrooks25.

There were so many things this week I could have written about. Anti-choice groups are increasing efforts to make accessing abortions more difficult without being illegal. A Senegalese organization is getting villages to agree to stop the practice of female genital mutilation.  But when I read about an elderly lesbian couple that staged a sit-in after being denied a marriage license in North Carolina, my topic was picked.

Coming across the We Do Campaign video, in which non-heterosexual couples go to apply for marriage licenses in North Carolina, a state in which gay marriage has not been legalized broke my heart. Writing about the divide in belief about same-sex marriage last week, brought up the point that there in some parts of the United States there isn’t a lot of support for legalization. Currently NC is waiting until May to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could ban both gay marriages and civil unions.

On the final day of the 10-day We Do campaign, two of the first women to apply for the license returned to the Registry of Deeds in Asheville and staged a sit in. The two were arrested after they refused to leave without obtaining a license. Rev. Kathryn Cartledge and Elizabeth Eve have been together for 30 years. Yes, count that, 30 years. In 2007, the New York Times reported over half of marriages end in divorce before the couple hits 25 years.

This weekend I’ll be raising my glass to Kathryn and Elizabeth because 30 years in any relationship is an accomplishment, and that’s not even considering the extra pressures a lesbian couple would have endured over the years. Their actions, and the act of application by 20 other couples, is an attempt to make it possible for young LGBTQ individuals to grow up without the constant reminder that they will never be given the same rights, and essentially considered equal, to someone that is heterosexual.

The United States of America is kind of divided on the whole homosexuality issue.

A new study produced by the University of Chicago surveyed public opinion across the country to find out which regions are more accepting to gay people. The country averages show that overall opinion is fractionated. While 44% of people surveyed said that homosexuality is “always wrong,” a close 41% said it’s “not wrong at all.” The opinions of the unaccounted for 15% weren’t made available, though Jezebel speculates that it could be those who are okay with acts of homosexuality if the two individuals are hot (*cough*most guys when girls make out*cough*)

Having an outside (Canadian) perspective the results aren’t all that surprising. The worst tolerance was found in the South Central states, with a whopping 73.7% of adults saying it’s always wrong in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. This is followed closely by 68.1% of people in the Western South Central Regions.

The most accepting regions start with New England (27% saying it’s always wrong), which is not surprising since Massachusetts legalized same sex marriage in 2004. The region with the second lowest intolerance rate is the Pacific (37.5%), which counts Alaska, California, Hawaii and Oregon.

There are so many factors in how people choose which side of the fence they sit on when it comes to homosexuality. Some people will cite biblical passages to condone certain sexual orientations, while I know people who will say that under the New Testament people should simply “love all of God’s creations.”

But whatever the reasons you believe what you do, one thing that has been on the rise (in the media, at least) is the number of LGBTQ-indentifying young adults, which is something you should think about before you open your mouth to make a derogatory comment.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, so let’s be a little less snarky or critical of our classmates and start setting a good example for our younger sibs. Okay?

Imagine going through your life as a heterosexual female. You’ve crushed on men, you’ve been attracted to men, you’ve dated men and had relationships with men…there’s was never a question: you dug dudes. End of story.

But then say one day you meet someone who is just so generous toward you. Someone who seems to care so greatly about you, who you care about in return. And that someone is a woman.

What do you do? Does that make you bisexual? A lesbian? Huh!? Well, read as one woman discusses her journey into — and out of — lesbianism.

Have you ever struggled with your own sexuality? What would you do in a situation like this? And hen does one become a full fledged lesbian?

It’s back-to-school time, and I’ve been spending some time lately thinking about what college means for our sex lives. College is our time to explore anything that interests us to find out what we really like and what type of people we want to become. We explore different majors, career paths, friendships, relationships, and sexualities. College is the first time in our lives most of us can really embrace our sexuality, explore it, and figure out how to truly enjoy it.

I go to a women’s college, so my first year was filled with questions from friends back home asking if I’d become a lesbian. My answer: so what if I had? And why did they care?

Despite the freedom we gain in college from adults, we are still constrained by our peers’ expectations of us, which can make it difficult to remain true to ourselves and create a healthy personal (and sexual) identity.

Here are some tips I hope you girls (and guys) can keep in mind while exploring sex in college.

It’s OK to be a virgin.
This had to come first because I think a lot of students are under the impression that there aren’t any virgins left in college, or that it’s weird to be a virgin in college. It’s completely normal to be a virgin in college and you should never feel pressured to “lose it” just to fit in.

There are more than three sexualities.
Most people think of sexuality in three categories: gay, straight, or bi. Most people, however, don’t fit neatly into these three categories. I prefer to see sexuality as a spectrum, ranging from completely heterosexual to completely homosexual, with the majority of people falling somewhere in between. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, or even if you don’t know where you fall on the spectrum, you are NORMAL. Don’t ever change yourself to fit someone else’s expectations of you.

Casual sex can be HARD.
Casual sex may seem like the norm in college, but don’t let that trick you into thinking it’s an easy solution to your sexual frustrations. Casual sex can be great if you’re horny and not looking for any type of attachment, but it can also result in a lot of painful feelings if one person cares more than the other. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you have sex with anyone, be aware that you might get hurt, and USE PROTECTION no matter what.

Monogamy isn’t a golden standard.
Our society tends to regard monogamy as the natural result of romantic relationships, and this isn’t necessarily true. Some people are happy in monogamous relationships, some aren’t. Many college students explore open relationships or multiple relationships. Find out what type of relationship makes you happiest and pursue it.

Well, no. That’s only a little bit true. That’s actually barely true at all. I don’t want to be saddled with unfair prejudice in the workplace, social and religious spheres, and military. So let me refine that statement a bit.

I wish I could be into dudes.

Not quite the same thing, really. I’ve always been a fan of the Kinsey scale when it comes to human sexuality, since “gay” and “straight” are so painfully restrictive. So let’s just say I wish I could ding my rating up a few points or two.

I’m perfectly happy with women, of course. Ladies, you guys are great, and I mean that. It’s not like I’m not getting enough variety in my sexy diet or anything. And honestly, friendship-wise, I tend to be one of those wimpy boys that has more female than male friends and always gets called “a really nice guy”. So what’s up, man?

Why the thirst for testosterone?

It’s a matter of principle. See, I’ve always believed that gender expression is mostly socialized. Girls get dolls, boys get dump trucks, that sort of thing. Switch them around and little girls would grow up to be seven feet tall with full Thoreau neck beards – no kidding, man. And from a very young age, us dudes have basically been told: “Hey! Check it out! Boobs!“

And so, being the modern enlightened male who totally doesn’t buy any of that biological determinism crap, I suspect that the only reason heterosexuality is such a widespread phenomenon is sheer weight of tradition. Sure, without heterosexual couples the human race would eventually vanish, but you know who has a population problem right now? The planet Earth. Being gay is a pretty decent way to avoid unwanted kids.

So sexuality, like gender, is totally flexible. And if I can get you in a corner, I’ll talk your ear off about it.

But I don’t feel comfortable talking the talk if I can’t walk the walk (alternately, a rather more vulgar phrase that sorta rhymes with “walk”). When straight men get terribly excited over the whole “sexuality is a social construction” thing, it often feels like a flimsy cover for “we want more girls to make out at parties”. Or it’s a nice way to sound erudite and sensitive while still being a pig in practice (“It wasn’t ‘cheating’! Monogamous relationships are a socially defined tool of the patriarchy!”). Without living the sexually-liberated, performative-gender dream, I feel like I’m just some egghead poseur. Like I’m a hack.

So what it’s come down to is this: I feel guilty for being straight. I’m trying, man. I’ve tried gay porn. I’ve tried getting my close male friends in hot tubs and drinking heavily. But I just can’t help it: I have yet to want the penis. Clearly I’m a slimy jerk who’s willing to make up all kinds of pop sociology to get in a girl’s pants, as well as contributing to the global population problem. Is this the new frontier for liberal guilt? Yet another majority to hate yourself for being part of?

Maybe I just need to meet another sensitive, confused, wanna-be guy like me. And maybe he needs to be Harrison Ford. We’ll see how it goes.

I am sad to announce that legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent passed away in Paris on Sunday at the age of 71. He is best known for redesigning “men’s clothes” for women through creations such as his infamous tux of 1966 and trademark elegant pantsuit. As one commentator put it, “Chanel gave women freedom” in the first half of the 20th century, and Saint Laurent “gave them power”.

In Other News,

Hilary Clinton emerged triumphant from Sunday’s primary in Puerto Rico yet it is doubtful that this will be enough to stop her downhill spiral. On Tuesday, the remaining 31 delegates will be decided as voters in Montana and South Dakota go to the polls for the Democratic Party’s final two primaries. Obama is approximately 50 delegates away from the 2,118 needed to secure the party’s nomination.

A massive fire raged through Universal Studios in Los Angeles for nearly 10 hours on Sunday. The fire damaged a sound stage, movie sets, and attractions including a famous alley from “The Sting” and a set from “Back to the Future”. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

International Wrap-up:

Election day violence in Macedonia left one dead and nine wounded.

Twenty Russian gay rights activists held a protest in Moscow today in spite of city officials continued refusal to allow parades or demonstrations. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has in the past called homosexuality “santanic”. Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993.

South Africa has said it will set up seven camps throughout the country to receive the 70,000 migrant workers displaced by the past weeks’ violent rampages. Aid agencies protest that the South African government lacks the expertise necessary for such an endeavor. According to officials, 56 people have been killed and over 650 injured.

Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, tensions are mounting leading up to the June 27th presidential run-off between incumbent dictator Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. On Saturday, the BBC reported that Major General Martin Chedondo told troops that they must leave the army unless they plan to vote for Mugabe. Such admonishment echoes the stance of Zimbabwe’s Generals who have vowed never to support a Tsvangirai government.

And Now For Something Complete Different…

I’m sure by now you’ve heard all about Japan’s coffin-like businessman hotel rooms, sandwiched subways, and traffic nightmares… but what about phantom closet dwellers? According to Reuters, on Friday a 57-year old man in Japan found a 58-year old woman living in his closet. Seriously. Apparently the man had become suspicious when food kept disappearing from his kitchen and decided to set up a hidden camera. He sent the images to the local police who found the woman hiding in a closet along with a mattress and several plastic drinking bottles.

Best Date Movie (on DVD)

Cloverfield released 01/18/2008

A going away party abruptly ends when a monster launches an attack on New York City. The movie is told from the perspective of character Hudd’s video camera (think Blair Witch Project) as he and his friends try to escape the monster’s wrath.

No doubt you’ve heard of this movie already—it made massive waves when it hit theaters in January—but perhaps you didn’t realize it’s full potential as a date movie. For starters, watching it as a DVD means that most likely it’ll be just you and your date curled up in front of the screen, in which case a bit of suspense and thrill are definitely pluses. Also, Sci-fi flicks always make great icebreakers—there’s something inherently goofy about the plot no matter how freaky it may be.

In case you really get into it, the DVD also boasts several bonus featurettes, four deleted endings, as well as two alternative endings.

If You Must…

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released 05/21/2008

Twenty years after he rescued his father from Nazi clutches during WWII (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) returns to the big screen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This time the whip-cracking archaeologist battles cunning KGB agents led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) as he attempts to return the Crystal Skull to its rightful place.

It’s a Lucas-Spielburg extravaganza oozing with special effects and bad acting. But let’s face it, as an Indiana Jones enthusiast you really don’t care about the plot’s fluidity nor do you necessarily give a hoot about minor character development… your only fear is that this movie will harm the Indiana Jones triumvirate. Well rest assured, my fellow nerd, the Indiana legacy is safe. This is a movie that should be watched by uber fans and lukewarm converts alike.

Best Movie Ever!

A Jihad for Love limited release 05/21/2008

A featured documentary filmed in twelve countries and nine languages by Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma. From Pakistan to Turkey, South Africa to France, and Iran to India, Sharma examines the complex lives of homosexual Muslims who refuse to abandon their faith even when at times their faith seems to have abandoned them. The movie’s website says it best, “The international chorus of gay and lesbian Muslims brought together by “A Jihad for Love” doesn’t seek to vilify or reject Islam, but rather negotiate a new relationship to it. In doing so, the film’s extraordinary characters attempt to point the way for all Muslims to move beyond the hostile, war-torn present, toward a more hopeful future.”

The US theatrical premiere of this film is taking place now from May 21-June 4 at the IFC Film Center in New York City. Check out First Run Features for a full list of upcoming screenings. Hopefully it will be released more widely soon.

The CC Movie Review comes out every Friday.