What's Happening Hot Stuff - 21st October 2012

What's Happening, Hot Stuff??

This week has been a busy one, at least for us! Our week started with a trip to Harrods to find a Baby Shower gift for Laura's cousin. Why is it that this kind of well planned trips never go to plan?! Our arrival was well executed, the distraction caused by Harrod's Christmas World was not. Nor was getting dazed and confused in the incredibly expensive baby department. Or the amazing smelling food department! However, after 2 hours we made a final decision on the cutest, softest puppy we could find that had a little tag on it saying 'My Fist Harrods Puppy'. Soooooooooooo cute we wanted to keep him!

On Tuesday we had the Michael Jackson Immortal Cirque Du Soleil show for Laura's birthday. Check out her review here: http://sprezzaturaourway.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/michael-jackson-immortal-what-thriller.html

On Wednesday we met up with Susie from http://stargazersusie.blogspot.co.uk/ and her girlfriend Natalie. We headed to Nando's in Soho and had a great couple of hours getting to know each other. In some ways meeting people who have blogs is a huge positive because you feel like you kind of know them, but then you have to avoid presumption and that can be hard! Thankfully our presumption that these girls were a couple we'd like was correct! In fact once we hit the topic of travel, we were really on the same page. Although we had been to a lot of the same countries we had been to different parts and combining our experiences made for a really interesting and fun evening.

We also saw a number of images around London that made us smile in the middle of our hectic-ness so we thought we'd share:

LOVING mamasandpapas.com Urbo advertising campaign, how very diverse!

Check out www.lookforlonger.com there's 75 stations named in this image!!

Then there was the random spotting of John Goodman:

Oh and Sarah made a friend on the tube - trying to sneak a photo of his amazing hat, he spotted her and came over to take a photo of her with the hat and perform a few magic trips!

Laura's cousin's baby shower was a success and Sarah managed to take home the prize from Pass The Parcel - the present was gratefully received.

In What's Happening outside of us - well did you see the latest Twitter hashtag called #SignsYoSonIsGay. Originally used as a derogatory anti-gay tweet it was quickly picked up the gay community and it's meaning redefined:

Washington state is 3 weeks away from voting on marriage rights laws and according to most recent polls 54 per cent of state voters are in favour of same-sex marriage. Called Referendum 74, the ballot is to uphold or not uphold marriage equality in the state after it was signed into law earlier this year. Due to receiving more than 120,577 signatures from registered Washington voters the law has been put to a state wide vote. Lets hope it equality wins!

But in France the debate about authorising gay marriage has been postponed. This would mean that debates will go into 2013 but with 65% of the population in support of Gay Marriage lets hope the President continues on his path to pass the law to allow gay marriage.

Here in the UK, Twitter was also front page news for another reason. It was used by the BNP leader to share the address of a gay couple who won a law suit against a Christian B&B that had stopped them sharing a bed. The BNP leader said that a 'justice' team were on their way to remind an 'English couple's home is their castle'. Ah homophobia, just awful!!

Talking about Homophobia check out ALL this video, if only there were more people like this:

We have also read a fair about of shocking news coming from the States - with gay rights being a hot topic on the agenda there is so much coming out in the news. On September the 21st a female soldier killed in combat and the plight of her partner showed exactly how far behind the army are when it comes to equality, even with end of DADT. The article is HERE! If you haven't got time the shocking points raised in the article are that for gay couples DOMA means that the soldier's same sex partner:

• Could never use the commissary to do the grocery shopping where food is marked just 5 percent above wholesale.
• Was never covered under her partners Tricare medical insurance.
• They never received the Basic Allowance for Housing stipend essential to many male-female couples in securing housing.
• They couldn't go to base-sponsored picnics and events.
• They couldn't get any assistance relocating with her wife to a new duty station, including overseas.
• Once at a new base they would not have qualified for employment or education assistance.
• They did not qualify for free legal service.
• If she were ever a victim of spousal abuse and the 'survivor' effects of PTSD, she could not go to family advocacy or spousal abuse centers.
• She will not receive any survivor benefits.
• 
  

Just awful!!

And when it comes to Romney, this close to the elections the soundbites coming thick and fast. We know he is staunchly opposed to gay marriage BUT now he wants us to know that allowing same-sex couples to visit in hospital is a benefit not a civil-right!!! It was only 2 years ago mandated that all hospitals treat same-sex couples the same as heterosexual couples and Romney already wants to stop it! Thankfully Obamacare includes Obama's original stance.

In other Romney news it looks like he is struggling to keep his Mormon supporters on side. In a recent article in the Salt Lake Tribune (published in Utah, the MOST Mormon of States) they highlighted that Romney's flip-flopping has caused them to re-evaluate exactly what they should vote for in a presidential candidate. The article looks at both candidates and comes to the conclusion that Romney just can't be trusted! It even goes as far as saying that Obama has made a good start at fixing Bush's mess! Check it out here: Tribune Endorsement: Too Many Mitts!

We shall finish on another piece of good to hear news - Anne Hathaway is donating any money made from the sale of her wedding photos to Freedom to Marry, a pro-gay marriage charity. Not only is Anne beautiful, funny and clever, she is a great advocate as her parts in some of the biggest films in the last few years get her plenty of publicity. This quote that we recently came across really makes her stand out as a positive role model!

Courtesy of Legalize Love

Have a great week!