#leigh phillips

[argyrocratie]

"Waste, Logistical Chains, “Economies of Scale” — and Aesthetics.

My suspicion that Phillips seriously underestimates the degree of waste production in existing capitalism is further confirmed by the fact that a book he co-authors, The People’s Republic of Walmart, celebrates many of the most inefficient aspects of existing capitalism as exemplars of efficiency. In particular he admires Walmart’s and Amazon’s extended logistics networks, a sentiment he also celebrated in a direct tweet to me:

I kinda love those worldwide supply chains. They are deeply humanising and constructing of a global culture. I cannot wait until all of subsaharan Africa is more integrated.

(...)

It’s useful to contrast this with Seymour Melman’s observations, in The Permanent War Economy, on the tendency towards cost-maximization in bureaucracies like the Pentagon and regulated public utilities. Any entity that’s guaranteed a profit under the terms of a procurement contract or regulation has every incentive in the world to maximize its cost, in order to maximize profits that are calculated on a cost-plus basis.

And this is true not only of entities that are formally guaranteed profits, but of entities whose oligopoly power enables them to engage in administered pricing (what Paul Goodman called the “great kingdom of cost-plus”).

According to William Waddell and Norman Bodek, under the rules of the management accounting system developed by Donaldson Brown at Du Pont and General Motors (what Waddell and Bodek call “Sloanist” accounting), overhead and waste is treated as the creation of value — a lot like GDP, in fact. Inventory is counted as an asset “with the same liquidity as cash.” Regardless of whether current output is needed to fill an order (...) In other words, the expenditure of money on inputs is by definition the creation of value. The more bloated and bureaucratic the production process, the greater the total book value of all that inventory sitting in the warehouse. So the large corporations that dominate our economy have an incentive to maximize waste and overhead that’s similar in kind, if not degree, to that prevailing in the Pentagon.

These giant corporations celebrated by Phillips and Rozworski appear “efficient” only because they exist within an ecosystem which has been modified to suit their needs. The state provides subsidized material inputs and socializes risk, and it enforces monopolies and entry barriers and regulatory restraints on competition. Corporate bureaucracies survive because of cost externalization and economic rents.

And that’s built into the basic structure of capitalism from its earliest days. From the beginning, capitalism has pursued a model of growth based on the extensive addition of new material inputs, rather than the more efficient use of existing inputs, because land and natural resources — thanks to enclosure and imperial looting — were artificially cheap.

In Europe peasant land was stolen and consolidated via enclosure and given to the propertied classes. In settler societies like the United States, both Indigenous-occupied and vacant lands were preempted by states, which gave preferential access to capitalists. States subsidize the extraction of fossil fuels and fight wars for access to them, making energy inputs artificially cheap. They subsidize highway transportation and, by making long-distance shipping artificially cheap, make firm sizes and market areas far above the point of diminishing returns artificially viable.

This is why the much-vaunted “efficiency” of factory farming — vaunted by its court propagandists, that is — is in output per labor-hour, not per acre. Soil-intensive techniques like raised bed horticulture are actually more efficient, in terms of output per acre.

In the specific case of logistic chains, Walmart is efficient at minimizing costs within a distorted framework in which transportation inputs are artificially cheap. Walmart’s logistics networks, and its network of offshore suppliers, are both enlarged at the expense of smaller-scale production for local markets, which would be more efficient if all costs were fully internalized. This means that the scale of Walmart’s logistics networks is actually an example of the amount of waste production under capitalism.

(...)

To the extent that Walmart’s just-in-time model is intended to match supply to demand, it is a sub-optimal application of lean principles. Walmart just replaces the warehouses full of inventory (under the Sloanist mass production model that Waddell and Bodek critique) with warehouses on wheels or on container ships. The ideal application of lean principles, in contrast, would be siting production as close as possible to demand, then scaling the flow of production to demand and scaling machinery to the flow of production — something like the high tech job shops of the Emilia-Romagna industrial district, with production oriented even more toward local consumption than is currently the case.

So while Phillips may consider those long logistic chains to be “deeply humanizing,” what they actually are is deeply inefficient. There is nothing “agile” about using many times the transportation inputs that are actually necessary because you��re producing stuff in one place to be shipped to retail shelves on the other side of the planet, when it would be produced much more efficiently where it’s being consumed."

-Kevin Carson, "We Are All Degrowthers. We Are All Ecomodernists. Analysis of a Debate" (2019)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Christopher Wiggins at The Advocate:

It is not every day that transgender voices shape the national media narrative on transgender issues. Yet this week, CNN broke new ground with its coverage of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Instead of allowing outsiders to define the conversation, the network welcomed transgender leaders onto its airwaves, creating a space for those most affected to weigh in and making it impossible to ignore the reality behind these critical debates and earning praise from GLAAD.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments that Tennessee’s law, which singles out trans youth by forbidding them access to care readily available to their cisgender peers, is not just discriminatory—it is unconstitutional. Chase Strangio, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney and the first out transgender lawyer to argue before the high court, pressed the justices to acknowledge that this so-called “protection” for children is, in fact, a thinly veiled assault on their autonomy and wellbeing. Ahead of the Wednesday argument, Strangio appeared on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper to preview the case. As the justices deliberated in the nation’s most powerful courtroom, CNN turned its spotlight to voices that have too often been left out of mainstream discussions. On Wednesday morning, Minnesota State Rep. Leigh Finke, who is transgender, offered commentary from Washington, D.C. Finke’s legislative achievements, including safeguarding access to gender-affirming care in her home state, highlighted that these issues are not theoretical—they concern real people, real families, and real futures.

Later that night, NewsNight with Abby Phillip brought on Peppermint, a transgender actress and GLAAD board member, and Shane Diamond, a GLAAD consultant and impact campaign producer. During the discussion, host Abby Phillip pointed out how rare it is to have transgender voices at the table. “The conversation that we are having here is actually not a conversation that happens very often,” she said, acknowledging the long-standing discomfort, fear, and misinformation surrounding trans issues. Peppermint swiftly highlighted the disconnect: “Major decisions that impact our bodies, our lives, our families, our health are being made without us being considered at all.” Diamond debunked the notion that there is a sudden “influx” of trans youth, emphasizing that increased visibility and more accessible language simply allow young people to recognize and articulate who they are. “We have more language to describe who we are and how we feel,” Diamond said. “Young people and older people are finally seeing themselves represented.”

A good move by CNN to feature trans contributors to discuss the impact of the Skrmetti case on trans Americans.

[brokehorrorfan]

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released on Steelbook 4K UHD, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 17 via Warner Bros. The 2024 sequel to 2019's Joker will first be available on Digital on October 29.

Todd Phillips (Joker, The Hangover) returns to direct from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver (Joker, 8 Mile). Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga star with Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, and Leigh Gill.

The film is presented in 4K with Dolby Vision/HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full Steelbook layout.

Special features:

Everything Must Go: 4-Part Documentary • Can I Have A Cigarette? • Finding Lee • A Hundred Films In One • King of Nothing

The Character Of Music

Live! With The Joker

Colors of Madness

Crafted with Class

Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him.

Pre-order Joker: Folie à Deux.

[milliondollarbaby87]

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Review

Failed comedian and murderer Arthur Fleck is struggling with the dual identity as he is incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital while he is awaiting trial, meeting the love of his life in Lee Quinzel will change everything. ⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Review

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[thebuhonerodazorrow]

Superman: Action Comics #1054 (2023)

Home again: part four

Dawn of dc

DC

[letterboxd-loggd]

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Todd Phillips

December 20th 2024

[bkenber]

'Joker: Folie a Deux' Movie and 4K Review

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is an ambitious film to say the least. It’s a musical, a courtroom drama, a character study, a love story, and a thriller all-in-one.  Before I even put the film in my 4K player, I was well aware of how poorly it was received by critics and audiences alike.  I was also well aware that some…

[watchingalotofmovies]

Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker Folie a Deux    [trailer]

Struggling with his dual identity, failed comedian Arthur Fleck meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.

I can't says I enjoyed it. I didn't particularly liked the first movie either.

But on some level I admire Todd Phillips' audacity of turning a billlion-dollar comic book franchise into a musical and giving the fanboys the finger.

[jmunneytumbler]

'Joker: Folie à Deux' … or Deuxn't?

'Joker: Folie à Deux' … or Deuxn't?

What a joke! (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot) Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, Bill Smitrovich, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland, Sharon Washington Director: Todd Phillips Running Time: 138 Minutes Rating: R Release Date: October 4, 2024 (Theaters) Whenever they weren’t singing in Joker: Folie à Deux, I…

[notesonfilm1]

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 429 – Joker: Folie à Deux

2019’s Joker, which gave the iconic supervillain an all-purpose mental health disorder, a tragic origin story, and a name – Arthur Fleck – was never meant to have a sequel. But it made a billion dollars, so Joker: Folie à Deux is here. And, being a jukebox musical based primarily on show tunes from the mid-20th century canon, we ask who it’s for. The first film took risks in eschewing so many…

[graphicpolicy]

Action Comics #1054 shows the heart of Superman

Action Comics #1054 shows the heart of Superman with a needed dose of positivity #comics #comicbooks #ncbd #superman

As Superman and Natasha Irons race to save Steel from the newly transformed Metallo, the Super-Twins are lost–and alone–against the nightmarish threat of the Necrohive! How will Lois and the House of El find them? There’s something rather quaint and relaxing about Action Comics #1054. While the comic is full of action, it also is very positive getting to the heart of what makes Superman…

[geryone]

Any poetry recommendations that make you crazy like in that post?

Here’s a quick list!! These are the ones that come to mind immediately when I think of things that absolutely floored me when I first read them.

1. The Renunciations by Donika Kelly. I had to pace around my room when I was reading this one + stop and stare at the wall for an hour when I finished it.

2. Kingdom Animalia by Aracelis Girmay

3. Sick by Jody Chan

4. I Will Tell this Story to the Sun Until You Remember that You are the Sun by Erin Slaughter

5. Bianca by Eugenia Leigh

6. Erou by Maya Phillips

+ Every poetry collection that Traci Brimhall has put out

[at-thezenith]

i think a lot of writers including me need to embrace the fact that sometimes your work is recognisably influenced by something and that's not a bad thing! i took the scent of magic from holly webb's rose series, my worldbuilding is inspired by leigh bardugo's six of crows, phillip pullman played a huge part in inspiring me to write grand, sweeping arcs like in his dark materials, tolkien made me want to write about travellers journeying across treacherous land, the list goes on and on and on. and i hope that people can see some influences in my work, that means i'm doing it well! and they stretch all the way back to when i was a tween just getting into fantasy and "grown up" books. would love to hear about who has inspired other people's writing: if you write gothic, what books have you infused your work with? fellow fantasy writers, what have you borrowed and tweaked from?

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … December 24

1305 – France: Grand Master Jacques de Molay and over 500 Knights Templar recant their confessions of homosexual activities to which they had admitted under torture. King Phillip IV burned 54 of them soon after the false confessions. Philip had de Molay burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre Dame de Paris in March, 1314. The sudden end of both the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.

1573 – French diplomat and law professor Hubert Languet wrote to Sir Philip Sidney, "My affection for you has entered my heart far more deeply than I have ever felt for anyone else, and it has so wholly taken possession there that it tries to rule alone."

Sir Philip Sidney

1905 – Howard Hughes Jr. (d.1976) was a USA business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and financially successful individuals in the world. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry.

Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle—oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness.

Hughes dated many famous women, including Joan Crawford, Billie Dove, Faith Domergue, Bette Davis, Yvonne De Carlo, Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Katharine Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Ginger Rogers, Janet Leigh, Pat Sheehan, Mamie Van Doren and Gene Tierney. He also proposed to Joan Fontaine several times.However, a rumour persists that Hughes and another notorious womanizer Errol Flynn had a sexual relationship, with Flynn at the top man!

1912 – A report issued by Utah's State Board of Insanity recommends sterilization of persons convicted of sexual crimes.

Robert Joffrey (rear) with Gerald Arpino

1930 – Robert Joffrey, born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan, (d.1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan in Seattle, Washington to an Afghan father and Italian mother.

As a teenager, Joffrey met 22-year-old Gerald Arpino, then serving in the Coast Guard. Arpino moved into the Joffrey home. From then on, the two were inseparable. They became best friends, artistic collaborators, and lovers.

Joffrey studied ballet and modern dance in New York City and made his debut in 1949 with the French choreographer Roland Petit and his Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris. From 1950 to 1955, he taught at the New York High School for the Performing Arts, where he staged his earliest ballets. He founded the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City in 1954.

In 1954 he formed his own company, which premiered Le bal masqué (The Masked Ball, 1954; music by French composer Francis Poulenc) and Pierrot Lunaire (1955; music by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg). Joffrey's other works include Gamelan (1962) and Astarte (1967), which was set to rock music with special lighting and motion-picture effects.

The Robert Joffrey Ballet took up residence at New York City Center in 1966. In 1982 it moved its principal activities to Los Angeles, California and in 1995 to Chicago, Illinois. Noted for its experimental repertoire, the company was called the "Joffrey Ballet of Chicago" after its move but has since returned to being called simply the Joffrey Ballet. Besides Joffrey's works its repertoire includes many works by Gerald Arpino, Joffrey's long-time lover, co-director, and eventually artistic director emeritus until his 2008 death, and ballets commissioned by Joffrey from new choreographers as well as works by such established choreographers as George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp.

Joffrey was sexually promiscuous but discreet. His pattern was to have Arpino at home for domestic stability, one principal romantic attachment, and numerous one-night stands.

In 1973, Joffrey fell in love with A. Aladar Marberger, a 26-year-old gay activist and manager of the Fischbach Gallery in New York. In the 1980s, both men contracted AIDS. While Marberger was outspoken about his illness, Joffrey remained silent. He was ashamed and wanted his obituary to say that he died of liver disease and asthma. Arpino agreed to his pleas, but the secret could not be maintained, as AIDS took a staggering toll on the dance world in general and on Joffrey's company in particular.

Robert Joffrey died of AIDS on March 25, 1988 in New York City. Aladar Marberger died eight months later.

1952 – Kevin Killian is an American poet, author, editor, and playwright of primarily LGBT literature. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009. His novel, Impossible Princess, won the 2010 Lambda Literary Award as the best gay erotic fiction work of 2009.

Killian is also co-founder of the Poets Theater, an influential poetry, stage, and performance group based in San Francisco.

Kevin Killian was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Roman Catholic parochial school run by Franciscan monks where he suffered what he has described as "routine abuse". He discussed these experiences in an essay in the edited work Wrestling With the Angel, which describes the experiences of 21 gay men with religion. He was also the New York City spelling bee champion.

Kevin attended graduate school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY-Stony Brook) in the 1970s, and moved to San Francisco in 1980. Although he is gay and Dodie Bellamy is a lesbian, the couple married and have an active heterosexual sex life.

Killian is also active in bringing attention to important LGBTQ artists and writers of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He has held poetry readings of a wide number of influential poets and writers, and participated in a number of panels, art installations, retrospectives, and memorials.

1958 – Bob Smith (d.2018) was an American comedian and author. Smith, born in Buffalo, New York, was the first openly gay comedian to appear on The Tonight Show and the first openly gay comedian to have his own HBO half-hour comedy special. Smith, along with fellow comedians Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams, formed the comedy troupe Funny Gay Males in 1988.

With Funny Gay Males, Smith is the co-author of Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out (1995). Smith is also the author of two books of biographical essays. Openly Bob (1997) received a Lambda Literary Award for best humor book. Way to Go, Smith! (1999) was nominated for a 2000 Lambda Literary Award in the same category. Smith published his first novel, Selfish and Perverse, in 2007, and Remembrance of Things I Forgot in 2011. He published a new collection of essays, Treehab: Tales from My Natural Wild Life, in 2016. The essays cover a wide range of subjects including his career in stand-up, his love of nature, and his experience with ALS. He performed at the inaugural We're Funny That Way! comedy festival in 1997, and appeared in the festival's documentary film in 1998.

While taping a 2007 comedy special for Logo, Smith disclosed that he was suffering from a neurological disorder. He described his symptoms at that time as slurred speech, making him sound inebriated. In response to an August 2012 New York Times article on openly gay male stand-up comedians, Smith posted a comment stating he had ALS.

On February 2013, Smith gave a candid interview to Canada's Global News, where he elaborated about his condition. The article also revealed that Smith assisted with the conceiving of fellow LGBTQ comedian Elvira Kurt's children, who with Kurt reside in Canada, and that he was a direct descendant of Henry Smith, an early settler of Canada's Niagara Region for whom the Henry of Pelham Winery is named.

Bob Smith died on January 20, 2018 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease in his Manhattan, New York home at 59 years of age.

1971 – On this date the international singer and actor Ricky Martin was born. Born Enrique Martín Morales in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he is known to millions of fans by his stage name Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist after 1991. During his career he has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. He is the founder of Ricky Martín Foundation (in Spanish Fundación Ricky Martin) a non-profit charity organization.

Martin rose to fame as a member of the Latin American boy band Menudo, after which he became a solo artist in 1990. During forays into acting on Broadway ("Les Miserables") and soap operas (General Hospital) he released numerous albums of Spanish music, which sold millions of copies throughout Latin America and Europe. In 1995, Martin refocused on his music career through his third album, A Medio Vivir. With this album, Martin made a shift from formulaic hit ballads to a more risky fusion of music centered around traditional Latin sounds, with the hit "Maria", which epitomizes this new sound. "Maria" broke Martin into Europe through Spain. With the ballad "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo", Martin began his expansion from Latin American and Spanish-speaking audiences to the European and Asian markets. He was chosen to sing the anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the famous hit "The Cup of Life"/"La Copa de la Vida", that reached number one on the charts in 60 countries.

He broke into the English-language market with his mega-selling hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca," which reached number one in many countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and South Africa. He followed up with the hit "She's All I Ever Had" which peaked at #2 on The Billboard Hot 100. This album became one of the top-selling albums of 1999, and was certified 7 times platinum, selling over 22 million copies worldwide to date.

During the Livin' la Vida Loca era, Martin's personal life went under the microscope due to his large Gay following, and he was questioned about his sexual orientation. In December, 2000 during an interview in The Mirror, Martin was asked, '"So what about all these rumors?" "There's not a lot I can do about that," he said. "I guess these rumors were started by people who don't have a life, or perhaps it's because they want me to be like them and I'm not. I try not to pay attention to any of these allegations. I could have been married with kids for years or have 27 girlfriends, and if people still want to go around saying that I'm gay, they will."'

In August 2008, Martin became the father of twin boys, named Matteo and Valentino. The babies were delivered via gestational surrogacy.

On March of 2010, Martin publicly came out as Gay in a post on his official web site by stating, "Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed ... I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

"What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word 'happiness' takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution."

In January 2018, Ricky Martin married his long-time partner artist Jwan Yosef.

Ricky and Jwan

1973 – Paul Foot is an English comedian. He commands a significant cult following called The Guild of Connoisseurs. Foot is known for his musings, rants, 'disturbances' and apparent aversion to pop culture. The Daily Express likened Foot to "a rare exotic bird", whilst six national newspapers including the The Independent and The Age have declared Paul to be "a comedy genius".

Foot was born and raised in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, he studied mathematics at Merton College, Oxford.It was during his studies he first started performing stand-up. As of 2011 Foot has refused to discuss his years at Oxford or former pursuits as a mathematics student.

Graduating from Oxford in 1995, Foot was head-hunted by a computer software company in the run-up to the dot-com bubble, however he loathed the industry: "I had to read manuals on HTML and just write websites from scratch. None of us really knew what we were doing".

He started to pursue a career in comedy, doing open mic slots at various venues, in the hope that show business would allow him to meet his idol Ella Fitzgerald. Tragically Ella Fitzgerald died a few days after this decision was made, but Foot decided to stick with comedy as a career anyhow.

He is openly gay. Foot also has a much admired collection of pre-war Toby jugs, which he parades on a custom made milk float on his yearly trip to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

1981 – Chris Kluwe is a former American football punter and writer. Kluwe played at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, where he was a 1999 USA Today High School All-American, and then attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and played professionally in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders.

Kluwe is widely known for his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he set eight individual team records. During this period, Kluwe became an outspoken advocate on social issues, including same sex marriage and gay rights, which ultimately led to tension between Kluwe and coaching staff.

Kluwe is widely known for his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he set eight individual team records. During this period, Kluwe became an outspoken advocate on social issues, including same sex marriage and gay rights, which ultimately led to tension between Kluwe and coaching staff.

Kluwe publicly released a letter on September 7, 2012, via sports website Deadspin he had sent to Maryland state assembly delegate Emmett Burns, defending the opinions of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and condemning Burns on his attempt to stifle Ayanbadejo's free speech. Ayanbadejo has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and Burns had sent a letter requesting that the Ravens ownership "inhibit such expressions" by their employee. On October 1, 2012, Kluwe published a letter to the editor that responded to a video statement released by former Viking Matt Birk in supporting a ban on same-sex marriage. In the letter, Kluwe outlined six primary reasons why he disagreed with Birk's statement. Kluwe was also featured in a documentary called The Last Barrier which aired on NBC Bay Area on December 8, 2012. During this interview he spoke about his feelings towards equality.

Kluwe and Ayanbadejo filed an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court on February 28, 2013, regarding Hollingsworth v. Perry, in which they expressed their support of the challenge to California Proposition 8. Kluwe appeared on the January 18, 2013, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to discuss his support of same-sex marriage. Ellen DeGeneres inducted Kluwe as the first inductee in her Hall of Fame, since NFL punters are unlikely to be voted into the league's hall of fame. On April 16, 2013, in recognition of his steadfast support of same-sex marriage and for starting a conversation about LGBT issues in athletics, Kluwe was named the Grand Marshal of the 41st annual Twin Cities Pride festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On January 2, 2014, Kluwe alleged that he was released from the Vikings due to his support of same-sex marriage. He stated that the Vikings requested that he "deliberately sacrifice my own numbers to help the team, a request with which I always complied." The team stated it was not previously made aware of Kluwe's allegations, and countered that he "was released strictly based on his football performance." Kluwe said that special teams coach Mike Priefer in 2012 made homophobic remarks and criticized the player for his views on same-sex marriage. Priefer responded with a statement saying that "I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member.” Kluwe called the coach's acts "inexcusable", and hoped he prevented Priefer from ever coaching again. He also alleged that head coach Leslie Frazier told him to stop speaking out on same-sex marriage. Kluwe later said his comments on Priefer were "a little too harsh originally", and stated that he preferred that the coach get therapy and counseling and return to the league as a role model.

Kluwe was released by the Vikings after the 2012 season, signed with the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2013 season, and was subsequently released. Kluwe was unable to find another NFL team with which to sign and retired from professional football in 2013. Following his departure from football, he has pursued a writing career and is a humor columnist for the sports website Deadspin.

2012 – The Serbian Parliament approves changes to the Penal Code to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes when it comes to hate crimes.

2013 – Alan Turing considered the father of computer science, was a code-breaker who helped shorten WWII. Since he was gay, the British government offered him the choice of prison or chemical castration after he was convicted of gross indecency. He selected hormonal castration via estrogen. He died in 1954 of cyanide poisoning. In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official apology, and Queen Elizabeth II issued Turing a royal pardon on this day in 2013.

[cruisingxdystopia]

"All Property is Theft," ©Leigh Phillips / Cruising Dystopia