Holiday Book Bonanza Begins Today

Our annual Holiday Book Bonanza begins today on the show, giving away books by authors who've been on the show throughout the year, many of them autographed by the authors. How it works: I will put out a question each day about something we have talked about within the hour, and the first callers with the correct answer wins.

We start with a book a day. Later in the month we'll give away a book an hour, and then eventually giving away book bundles. Good luck in winning a book!

Rick Warren Can't "Take Sides" on Gay Executions

Via Box Turtle Bulletin comes this Newsweek.com post in which we learn that Rick Warren, who in the past had ties to the Uganda pastor who helped spearhead legislation that would execute HIV-positive gay men if enacted, will not speak out against the legislation, saying that "it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."

On Meet the Press he said, speaking more generally on the gay issue, "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides." As Newsweek's Lisa Miller points out, this is a guy who called abortion a "holocaust" and who certainly does what he can to stop it in this country and around the world. Surely, he believes, as a self-proclaimed moral leader, that one must speak up against injustice. That is, if he sees state executions of gay men as a true injustice at all -- or at least one that is worth upsetting the apple carts he so neatly set up in Uganda.

And is it a coincidence that the Obama administration -- in which Warren has a fan at the very top -- has not spoken out loudly enough against what's happening in Uganda and that the man who doles out the AIDS dollars (our taxpayer dollars, need I remind) on behalf of the president to Uganda, PEPFAR chief Eric Goosby, says pretty much what Warren says? According to Newsweek.com, Goosby says his job is "not to tell a country how to put forward their legislation."

That has got to be one of the most outrageous things I've heard so far from an Obama official: We're neutral on extermination.

UPDATE: Max Blumenthal has done a lot on Warren and his Uganda connections and I've had him on the show often. This piece he wrote back in January is a good refresher for the discussion now about Warren. Read the whole thing, but just wanted to pull out this passage that sums up Warren's investment in Uganda:

Days later, Warren emerged so enthusiastic after a meeting with First Lady Museveni, he announced a plan to make Uganda a “Purpose Driven Nation.” “The future of Christianity is not Europe or North America, but Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” he told a cheering throng at Makerere University. Then, Ugandan Archbishop Henry Orombi rose and predicted, “Someday, we will have a purpose driven continent!”

Did Highest-Ranking Gay Official Thwart Equal Rights?

A report published on TIME's web site just before the holiday has an explosive bit of information: the chief judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a while back that a lesbian federal employee who reports to him be given federal marriage benefits, and it was actually going to happen until the White House, through the Office of Personnel Management -- headed by openly gay appointee, John Berry -- refused to comply and directed the health insurance carrier of the employee not to proceed [all bold below is mine]:

The order was not published, and garnered little or no notice at the time. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts moved to comply with the judge's ruling, submitting [federal employee] Golinski's insurance form to Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the case would have probably gone away — had the Obama Administration not stepped in. "After the AO submitted Ms. Golinski's form, I thought this matter had concluded," [Judge] Kozinski wrote. "The Executive Branch, acting through the Office of Personnel Management, thought otherwise. It directed the insurance carrier not to process Ms. Golinski's form 2809, thwarting the relief I had ordered. I must now decide what further steps are necessary to protect Ms. Golinski and the integrity of the Judiciary's EDR [employee dispute resolution] plans."

Now Judge Kozinkski has ordered that OPM stop interfering, demanding last week that the Obama administration comply with his order:

Last week, the chief judge of one of America's most prominent federal courts ordered an Executive Branch agency to stop interfering with a court employee's efforts to secure health insurance coverage for her wife. "The Office of Personnel Management shall cease at once its interference with the jurisdiction of this tribunal," wrote Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. He gave the Administration 30 days to permit Karen Golinski, a lawyer employed by the Ninth Circuit, to include the woman she married under California law last year on her family health-insurance plan.

If the Obama administration, which now has less than 30 days to respond, tries to fight this, not only will it undoubtedly cause another (and much bigger, in my opinion) firestorm within the LGBT community, but it's not clear that it actually can fight it, let alone win:

[Judge Kozinski's] order last week demanded that the executive branch reverse course, and gave the Administration 30 days to enroll Golinski's wife as her health-insurance beneficiary. He made clear that if it doesn't, he's ready to use the powers of his court to enforce his decree. University of California law professor Rory Little, a former Justice Department prosecutor and chief of appeals, called the order a "bombshell." "This is like exposing the tip of a huge iceberg that nobody knew even existed," he told TIME. "It's a fascinating question: Do the courts even have the power to do this? Where does it leave things procedurally? Where can the Administration appeal? I think there are five or six lawyers in the [Solicitor General's] office scurrying around right now trying to figure out what to do with this."

And of course, another bombshell here is that the Office of Personnel Management was ordered by the White House to refuse to give a lesbian federal employee her court-ordered rights. John Berry, as head of that office, was thus apparently forced as an openly gay man to deny another gay person, and the LGBT movement itself, of rights, even in the face or a court order.Is this how openly gay appointees must operate within the Obama administration -- not as advocates on behalf of civil rights but rather as lackeys charged with blocking equal rights for their own kind? That, if true, is enormously troubling.

(h/t to Marc Love for tipping me off re: the TIME piece)

Daniel Boulud Stuffed Pumpkin Recipe

Happy Thanksgiving! As promised for days on the show, I'm finally putting the Stuffed Cheese Pumpkin recipe up, which comes from the New York chef Daniel Boulud. It is on the ABC News website (he did Nightline a couple of years ago) and it's the second recipe, after the Gratin. I've copied it below.

I have found that using my own mixture of brown sugar, rosemary, coriander, ground cloves, and nutmeg is fine if you don't have Boulud's Thanksgiving Blend of spices (which can only be found in a few stores). Jut put a little of each in a dish and mix it together. Also, I do not use the bacon, as I'm vegetarian.

Stuffed Cheese Pumpkin

Recipe courtesy of Daniel Boulud, adapted from a recipe prepared by his mother, Marie

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

1 cheese pumpkin, approximately 10-12 pounds
1 kabocha squash (or butternut squash)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 loaf sourdough bread
1 clove garlic, peeled
3/4 pound apple wood smoked bacon, cut into approx ¼ inch thick batons
½ cup toasted and chopped pecans
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 bunch chives, sliced
1 lpound Gruyere cheese, grated
5 cups Half and Half
3 tablespoons Daniel Boulud's Thanksgiving Spice blend*
Salt and pepper to taste

* Available at Chef Central, Food Emporium (NY Metro), Home Goods, Zabars, www.pfaltzgraff.com and Gracious Homes

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the kabocha squash in half, remove the seeds, rub the inside with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lie the squash flesh side down on a sheet tray lined with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until cooked through (check with the tip of a paring knife).

Meanwhile, turn the cheese pumpkin upside down, and with a small serrated paring knife, remove a circular cap wide enough to later fill the pumpkin with stuffing (approximately 10 inches in diameter). Cut the sourdough bread into 1-inch thick slices and toast. Lightly rub the toasted bread with the clove of garlic.

In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. When the cooked kabocha squash is cool enough to handle, remove the flesh with a spoon and cut into a rough dice. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Half and Half with 2 tablespoons of Thanksgiving Spice Blend, and salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the inside of the cheese pumpkin with salt, pepper and the remaining Thanksgiving Spice Blend. Begin filling the pumpkin, starting with a layer of bread, then half of the bacon, half of the pecans, half of the pumpkin seeds, half of the chives and half of the cheese. Pour in about half of the Half and Half mixture and lightly press down. Repeat with remaining filling ingredients to reach the top of the pumpkin. Pour in the remainder of the Half and Half to reach the top of the pumpkin. Return the cap to the pumpkin and transfer onto an aluminum foil lined baking tray. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the cheese pumpkin is cooked though.

Serve warm, scooping a bit of the cheese pumpkin from the sides along with the filling.

A Classic: Larry Craig's 2007 Biggest Turkey Award

Since I posted Carrie Prejean's audio statuette (below) for this 2009's Biggest Turkey of the Year Award, I thought I should post a classic: The audio statuette of Larry Craig's 2007 Award for Biggest Award. Our producer David Guggenheim does a great job with these. Many thanks to him!

Biggest Turkey of 2009: Carrie Prejean

After four hours of giving out several dozen Turkey Awards on our annual Turkey of the Year Awards on the show, Carrie Prejean took the grand prize, Biggest Turkey of the Year. Here is her special audio statuette, one of over 40 audio statuettes we gave out today.

Turkey of the Year Awards

It's time once again for our annual Turkey of the Year Awards in which we hand out audio statuettes on the show to this year's turkeys -- the losers, liars, and lemmings of 2009 -- and replay the memorable interviews with some of them from the show. Yes, it's silly fun, but we need it.

It's all happening Wednesday 2-6 ET, as you're driving to your Thanksgiving destination or just hanging out at the office making as if you're working but listening to the show online while counting the minutes before you get the hell out of there for the weekend. You're all invited to call in with your nominations, and we'll hand out the awards. You can also post your nomination here as well or on FB or Twitter or wherever else we connect, now or during the show (especially if you can't call because you're listening at work!). And remember, we'll be naming the Biggest Turkey of the Year as well, and asking everyone to call in and vote.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Death Of The LGBT Media?

4:30pm EST: Michael Triplett, freelance journalist and member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, asks with the closing of the Washington Blade and news that the Advocate will no longer be a stand alone magazine, is LGBT media dead? He joins the show this afternoon to explain.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show:Why Doesn't Brian Bond Talk to Anyone?

3:30pm EST: Pam Spaulding, editor of Pam's House Blend, joins the show this afternoon to speak with us about the attention her interview with deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (a.k.a. the White House LGBT liason) Brian Bond has received and why he's been invisible and inaccessible.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The Tactics Of The Opposition

4:30pm EST: Melissa Murray is an assistant professor at the UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law and has studied the influence that fear-mongering television ads against marriage equality have on voters in the midst of a ballot measure campaign, saying in an AP interview, "Parents are always thinking about how do I keep unwanted influences out of my children's lives, and it's a lot harder to do that as a parent if that influence is the state... That's the fear they are tapping into. ... and they are just going to keep repackaging it, because it works."

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Who Created Major Hasan?

3:30pm EST: The media has been in overdrive over the past two weeks over the shooting at Fort Hood by Major Nidal Hasan and whether or not to consider this a terrorist attack, pushed by gasbags on the right who insinuate that any Muslim who commits a crime -- indeed, sometimes, any Muslim who does anything -- is a terrorist. Robert Wright, senior fellow at the New America Foundation, wrote an op-ed this weekend in the New York Times, looking at the arguments and joins me to talk about his piece, "Who Created Major Hasan?"

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Sarah Palin's Ties to Hatemongers

Max Blumenthal came on the show last week and we discussed Sarah Palin's connections to some pretty extremist individuals (audio below.) Beyond some of the gay press (and of course the gay and progressive blogs), not much of the media is focused on Sarah Palin's intimate ties to white supremacists and homophobes as her media machine is rolling out across the country. These aren't people who are a few individuals removed. These are the people she has supported in Alaska; people she has turned to in crisis, like Robert Stacy McCain, who helped her deal with the rumors of her divorce; and Lynn Vincent, a virulently antigay evangelical Christian who ghostwrote her book. I've written about former Washington Times editor and Palin buddy Robert Stacy McCain in years past, in a column that keeps coming back. Max Blumental of The Daily Beast wrote about him a bit too, as well as about Vincent ( a close colleague of Stacy McCain's) in a recent column.

Max came on the show last week and we discussed these ties to Palin and how they're being ignored. In the attempt by some in the media to marginalize Palin by treating her as a celebrity with no substance, they're ignoring the hate she festers, the people she brings out and the characters to whom she's connected. Listen to my discussion with Max if you didn't hear it live last week.




Also, Andy Towle has posted more from the "informed Palin fan base." Check it out.

Mary Matalin: It's Fine to Slap Women Around

(Via CrooksandLiars)
Mary Matalin, who, in addition to being a CNN commentator and Republican political consultant, is "editor-in-chief" of Simon & Schuster's Threshold Books. There are enough conflicts of interest there to warn anybody less arrogant that that some topics, including Sarah Palin's book, shouldn't be weighed in on, lest you appear as if you're defending your friends and political allies as well as your own business interests. But this isn't someone less arrogant by a long shot.

In this CNN.com piece Matalin whines on about not acquiring the Sarah Palin book for her imprint. Then she goes on to a) say that it will have a hard time making money; and b) that Palin "napalms" too many bridges and complains too much in the book, particularly about people Matalin loves and adores. Her advice? Palin, even if she was mistreated, should have just sucked it up and taken it, and put it all behind her. That's when Matalin tells the story of a women on a Republican campaign who got slapped across the face by a "big" man and, rightly, just accepted it:

Time is the most valuable commodity on a campaign and you just can't waste it thinking about how to choose your words carefully or get your job done more diplomatically. If someone isn't in tears every day, that day wasn't all it could be advancing the campaign. I once witnessed an experienced (big) man slap a professional female colleague across the face over an ad buy... and no one thought anything of it, starting with the woman. In fact, she would have been insulted if anyone told her she should have been insulted.

Wow, just speechless after that.

Saturday Back Talk

Here are some of the listener survey comments I read on the show this week. If you're a listener and haven't taken the survey, please do so by scrolling down and clicking through on the right. Thanks!


St. Louis, MO (Sirius)
By and large I agree with your views. I enjoy the fact that even on serious issues, you are able to make a few jokes without lessening the impact of the topic. I do sometimes feel that as a heterosexual listener I am in a group excluded when talking about ways to bring about change and fight for equality for all. I am sure, however, that homosexuals, and especially transgender people have felt this way much more often.

El Dorado, KS (XM)
You have made me see things differently, in a more liberal light, and stirred up my activist emotions and made me realize that equality is my number one issue. I used to be more Republican-thinking, because I believe in lower taxes and and strong foreign policy. You have changed my opinions though, by making me see just how much the right wing is against me, by being against my equality. When I see things in the news, I can't wait to turn on your show and hear what you will have to say about it. I also LOVE when and how you go up against IDIOT guests. You are a great defender/instigator for our equal rights.

Pittsburgh, PA (XM)
I hear things on your show before I hear them anywhere else, if at all. It is so hard to be informed today, in this age of news as a product. On TV, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC all run the same 4-5 news stories, and that's all we get to learn about. With your show, and a few others on TV, like Rachel Maddow and Keith, I get to hear about other issues than the 4 or 5 issues some mega-corporation wants to ram down my throat.

Prospect, KY (Sirius)
Michelangelo, I have been listening to your show since you use to have somewhat of a co-host. I use to have a problem with your infamous "pause" or "silence" - often I thought an asteroid hit the satellite. We do not always agree, which is good. I did have a fault with your show - but it seems you have corrected the problem, the opening of your show. I use to HATE it, it was ridiculous for even someone from Kentucky. I am very thankful that you changed the intro. I do hope you are able to take a break now and then.

Marlinton, WV (Sirius)
Without Sirius OutQ radio, we would be lost out here in the hinterlands. You inform, entertain and validate us!

Miami, FL (Sirius)
You do a great job focusing on the needs of the LGBT community. So much happening in our lives now, we need a powerful voice on the radio discussing our issues and you do it very well. You make your listeners think about the hot topics and focus on all the issues at hand.

Arlington, VA (XM)
Great coverage of the National Equality March!

Fremont, CA (Sirius)
I enjoy the show and the viewpoints that Michelangelo has. This show allows different points of view to happen, although I do not agree with everything that is said by both Michelangelo or the callers and guests. Also, unlike others I notice no weird ways that Michelangelo pronounces words.

Pittsburgh, PA (XM)
I only stumbled onto your show after XM picked up OutQ. Of course I also have known who you are and was aware of your contributions to gay culture -- and quite frankly I disapproved of your past actions. That was then. Now I have been transformed into an emerging activist and am informed greatly by your show and where it leads me. I appreciate your guests and listeners greatly, but am more appreciative of how you guide and steer the dialogue. Informed, fair, intelligent, and forward thinking. Thanks for helping me reach my potential as a proud gay middle aged man!

Clips of the Week: "Go Jump off a Bridge"

Our Friday feature on the show, Clips of the Week: the dumb, sometimes smart -- mostly not -- things they said all week, all put to music by our producer, David Guggenheim. This week: "Go Jump Off a Bridge"

Today's Show: GOPalin

4:30 pm EST: Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah and contrbuter to The Daily Beast, joins us this afternoon to finish of the week that was Sarah Palin and to give us a deeper look into her ghostwriter, Lynn Vincent.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Latest Fundie Whine: "The Manhattan Declaration"

In their newest attempt to inject their religious beliefs into public life and stop LGBT rights and abortion rights while they cast themselves as the victims of religious bigotry, Catholic and evangelical religious leaders came together in a confab in New York in September and are having a press conference today in Washington to unveil the document they have produced. According to The New York Times, the document, The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience, lays out their claim to be victims, outrageously twisting the logic of civil rights and using Martin Luther King:

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples...

...The document says, “We will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other antilife act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent.

There is nothing in any current law, or any law being drafted, that says that that any church has to do any of those things. Last time I checked, abortions were not being performed in churches -- thankfully they're still being performed in hospitals and clinics, and not back allies -- and scientific research on stem cells and embryos is happening in laboratories, not at the local parish. As for marriages of gays and lesbians, in every state that has marriage equality Christian churches do not have to perform such marriages, just as they don't have perform marriages of Jews and others who don't adhere to their faiths.

So what it this? Another publicity stunt, another whining announcement to cast themselves as the victims -- and coming together no less, in a desperate last ditch attempt -- to take away people's rights. But as usual, they're not very original: They've stolen Manhattan Project from environmentalists. I think on the show today we'll hammer out The Signorile Declaration. It consists of two words.

Today's Show: Act On Priniples

4:30pm EST: The LGBT community is often told that there is not the support needed to pass, or even introduce, certain pieces of legislation. Rarely are we told who needs to be persuaded to gain the needed support. Lisa Polyak, co-founder of Act On Priniples, joins me this afternoon to talk about the efforts this organization is taking to make sure the voice of the LGBT community is heard by our legislators.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: How Religion Evolved

3:30pm EST: Is religion just a body of sacred knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, or does religion, being much more than just a cultural heritage, spring from a deeply ingrained urge to worship? Joining me to answer these questions is Nicolas Wade, author of The Faith Instinct:How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Fan: Palin's For "Putting Homos Back in the Closet"

You betcha. Ben Smith at Politico has a piece up about Sarah Palin's book tour stop in Western Michigan, and aside from his showing that it truly is a campaign rally rather than a book signing, there are a couple of interesting observations re: the fans. One man notes that Palin is for "putting the homos back in the closet," and, sure enough, minutes later a security guard tells another man who is wearing a "Homos for Palin" t-shirt that he's got to "zip it up" or leave:

The event also drew its share of more ideological conservatives. Bob Weinert, 56, a fencing salesman from Lansing, said he’d heard Rush Limbaugh say recently that Palin is “the most conservative candidate out there.” She represents, he said, “limited government and traditional values,” including “putting homos back in the closet"...

...A few minutes later, a diffident young man wandered by with a handmade “Homos for Palin” t-shirt until he encountered a mall security guard.

“You’ve got to zip it up or leave,” said the security guard and the young man, who said he was a college student but wouldn’t give his name, complied.

Today's Show: ENDA In The Senate

4:15pm EST: On November 5, the Senate held its first hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act since 2002. There was to be a committee vote in the House, however, it has been postponed. We will be talking about ENDA in the Senate this afternoon on the show with a Senate sponsor of the bill, Senator Jeff Merkley, junior senator from Oregon about the senate version of the bill and how he plans to get the support he needs to pass it.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The Win In Washington

3:30pm EST: In the wake of the 2009 elections, we have focused a lot on the loss in Maine. But what about our wins? Joining me to talk about the successfully run campaign in Washington is Josh Friedes, campaign manager for Washington Families Standing Together, the grassroots organizations to help approve Referendum 71.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The New World Order

4:30pm EST: Martin Jacques, writer and columnist for the Guardian in London, speaks with us this afternoon about his latest book, When China Rules The World: The End Of The Western World and The Birth Of A New Global Order. We'll talk with him about the president's trip to China and why, according to some estimates, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy by 2027.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: A Vital Paper Shuts Down

2:30pm EST: Last month, we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Washington Blade, a top LGBT news publication. Yesterday, we got word that the doors had been closed. Kevin Naff, Editor-In-Chief, joins us today to talk about what's next for the staff and writers and the closing of the Washington Blade.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Keeping 'Rogue' In Line

3:30pm EST: Karl Frisch of Media Matters for America will speak with us this afternoon to fact check Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue and get the inside scoop on the homophobic ghost writer, Lynn Vincent, who helped her write it.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The Future of the Health Care Bill

4:30pm EST: Igor Volsky, health care researcher with the Center for American Progress, joins us this afternoon to talk about the health care bill moving forward and if the Stupak Amendment, as EJ Dionne in the Washington Post calls it, is a minor “skirmish” that is “unlikely to have a significant effect on the availability of abortion.” What will happen in the Senate, and what is the future of the bill.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Cinderella... Retold

3:30pm EST: Malinda Lo, a San Francisco based freelance writer, award-winning journalist and contributor to AfterElton.com, is also the author of a new book called Ash, a fairy tale of sorts. Ash is the romantic retelling of the story Cinderella, with a lesbian twist, and she joins us this afternoon to talk about Ash.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Saturday Back Talk

These are the listeners survey comments I read on the show this week. If you're a listener and haven't taken the survey please do so by scrolling down and clicking through on the right. Thanks!


Boyertown, PA (Sirius)
I've been listening for about a year, and while I love the show and seldom miss it, there is one thing you do that drives me nuts. When you say the word "huge" or "human" you omit the "H" sound entirely. You're not the only person I've heard do this, I'm wondering if it's just a regional accent or what, but I cringe every time I hear you say one of those words. Didn't you ever see My Fair Lady? Pronounce the H's!!! (no, but seriously, great show, keep it coming).

Chicago, IL (XM)
I think you add a lot to the conversation. I just think you are a little too pro Obama, although I voted for the man (Ron Paul was not a write in candidate in Illinois), I am still very uneasy about the Rev. Wright connection.

Charleston, SC (XM)
I respect all views and listen to as many opinions as possible. Often I find your show extremely partisan versus creating a forum for dialogue within our community. I would rather see your show be a forum for ideas to be shared rather than you recite the democrat talking points. I do appreciate you holding Obama's feet to the fire, something HRC seems to be neglecting. As a Log Cabin Republican, I have tried and with some success, changed the minds of elected Republicans. The other thing I wanted to mention is your rant over the "Tea Baggers." Most of these folks are fiscal conservatives who come from all classes. Most are sick and tired of paying more and more taxes. (yes there are a few nuts out there with signs that make all of them look bad, but the democrats have had their fair share of hateful signs against Bush and other Repubs too.) The point is... the Tea Baggers are not necessarily the social conservatives that have been against us. You may want to give them less of a hard time. I do enjoy the show for the most part, but I often find my blood boiling at your rants and have to turn you off!

Northhampton, PA (Sirius)
I love to listen to the show because A) Michelangelo is well-informed and I agree with his positions B) HUMOR!! C) there is not enough (I hate to say) "tolerance" in this country - I don't think that I "tolerate" minorities (people that aren't clones of me) I love them as brothers, sisters, and friends D) I enjoy ripping and exposing the "right" as much as anyone else.

Yuma, AZ (XM)
I enjoy the show a great deal. I love hearing his viewpoint and love the questions posed for callers. I swing left, and my wife swings right, it makes for interesting discussions around our household.

Douglasville, GA (XM)
Dear Michelangelo: I am a courier, so I have the opportunity to listen to your show almost every day. I find your show both entertaining and very informative. I admire your professionalism, and your ability to stay focused, whether you are in a discussion with a heavy hitter like Barney Frank, or a radical right-winger, or some whack-a-doodle nut job. I have a question for you: When Sean Hannity was interviewing Carrie Prejean the other day, I know he was attempting some self-deprecating humor when he said, "It would be embarrassing if I had made a sex tape." From this statement, I assume he meant that if he were to film himself jacking off, that he would be embarrassed for anyone to see how small or malformed his pecker is, or that he suffers from erectile dysfunction, or that he has some ejaculation issues (maybe he cums all over himself the moment he touches his John Thomas, or perhaps he can't cum at all.) Since he thinks that he is God's gift to women, I was wondering: Are young, straight women drawn to middle aged fat men, with small flaccid dicks, like moths to a flame? If you don't know the answer to this, could you ask your straight female listeners to call in and shed some light on this conundrum?????

Houghton, MI (Sirius)
I love the show. Mike's superb! One nagging tick that has started to get me. STOP TYPING WHILE INTERVIEWING or get a silent keyboard! This triggers two things in my head: It's impolite, and it's distracting to this listener. Great discussions, thoughtful insight, PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE get a silent keyboard!

Cinnaminson, NJ (Sirius)
I absolutely love your show! Listening to even 1 day a week of your show gets me more up-to-date than any other news source I know of. I really like that you have people on that represent both sides of the argument. It's especially funny when they dig themselves into a hole and it's made very clear how stupid they are.

Alpena, MI (Sirius)
MIKE, YOU DO A FANTASTIC JOB! I WISH MORE MAINSTREAM MEDIA WOULD PICK UP ON THE SAME SUBJECT MATTER AND DISCUSSION THAT YOU CONVERSE ON. I TAKE AN INTEREST IN WHAT IS BEING SAID ON FOX AND OTHER NETWORKS AND I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHT CONSIDERS YOUR SHOW TO BE RADICAL LEFT EXTREME.

Columbus, OH (Sirius)
I fell in love with you the moment I found OutQ on Sirius. You were interviewing some right-wing nut job and were grilling him!! I was like, who is this? I like it! I really like when you get gritty and don't back down! Please continue to do this!! What are the chances of grilling Dick Chaney's daughter!?

Brookfield, CT (Sirius)
The show is great, informative and many times educational. It is strange how comfortable one can become living in the NYC area. Listening to you show helps me remember that there are a lot of LGBT people who don't live in this area with all of the acceptance and advantages we have. The only problem I have with the show (which really can't be fixed) is how negative it can be. Sometimes I have to stop listening for a few days because it just gets too depressing listening to crazy hateful people. You combine that with stress from a long day at work and my head just about explodes!

Huntsville, AL (XM)
I have been unable to "friend" Michelangelo on facebook. I was referred to the "Fan" page. However I get the feeling that not as much activity occurs on the fan page. Please explore the possibility of switching everyone to the fan page so we dont feel left out.

Cliips of the Week: "I Am a Hypocrite"

Our Friday feature on the show, Clips of the Week: the dumb, sometimes smart -- mostly not -- things they said all week, all put to music by our producer, David Guggenheim. This week: "I am A Hypocrite"

Today's Show: The Melody Barnes Tape

2:30pm EST: Paul Sousa, a Boston College law student, asked senior Obama official Melody Barnes about what he calls President Obama's "separate but equal" stance on same-sex marriage. Barnes answered and many have now said she in fact came out in support of same sex marriage. She was offering her own view, not the White House's, and that's not odd in and of itself. What was odd was the White House, which seems almost paranoid about homosexuality, attempted to couch her personal position as not supportive of marriage equality. The White House then tried to hold the tape, pressuring Boston College for a week. But today the will be released finally. We will be joined by Paul Sousa, and we will be the judge as to whether or not Melody Barnes answer spoke for the White House and said they support same sex marriage.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Rhode Island Governor Changes Tune?

3:30pm EST: An opponent of same-sex marriage, Rhode Island Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill giving domestic partners the right to claim the bodies of — and make funeral arrangements for — their loved ones. The bill, which was passed unanimously by Rhode Island legislation, was inspired by the heartbreaking story of Mark Goldberg, who was to join us on the show yesterday but had to be rescheduled. He actually met yesterday with the governor, who has reportedly softened his position ad believes perhaps there should be a domestic partnership law in the state now. We'll speak with Mark Goldberg this afternoon to talk about his months-long battle last fall to persuade state authorities to release to him the body of his partner of 17 years, Ron Hanby, for cremation, and what steps the governor now may take to give some rights to gay couples.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Are You Distracted?

4:30pm EST: This is a rescheduling of a guest we were to have on a couple of weeks ago and happy to finally have her on. Maggie Jackson believes that despite our wondrous technologies and scientific advances, we are nurturing a culture of diffusion, fragmentation, and detachment. Our attention is scattered among the beeps and pings of a push-button world, she says, and we are less and less able to pause, reflect and deeply connect. In Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age, Maggie Jackson wonders about our increasingly cyber-centric world and joins us to talk about it this afternoon.


Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The Height of Indignity

4:30pm EST: An opponent of same-sex marriage, Rhode Island Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill giving domestic partners the right to claim the bodies of — and make funeral arrangements for — their loved ones. The bill, which was passed unanimously by Rhode Island legislation, was inspired by the heartbreaking story of Mark Goldberg, who joins us this afternoon to talk about his months-long battle last fall to persuade state authorities to release to him the body of his partner of 17 years, Ron Hanby, for cremation.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: Marriage Equality in DC

3:30pm EST: DC for Marriage is an group of local residents working towards equal rights and responsibilities for same sex couples in the District of Columbia. Michael Crawford, president of DC for Marriage, joins us this afternoon to talk about developments in DC on marriage equality, which is scheduled for a vote on December 1.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Prejean Walks off Larry King

Carrie Prejean is clearly a pathological liar and a completely fraud -- not that we didn't know that already. She claims Larry King was "innappropriate" when in fact he's simply pursuing the questions that others let her pass on, and there was nothing "innappropriate" about it. She just didn't want to answer.

Also, the boyfriend to whom she sent the sex tape says she was not 17, but was 20 when she sent him the sex tape. TMZ interviewed him, and on an audio tape he says that there are "numerous tapes."BTW, he says, he only met her once, and then they had a romp in a San Diego hotel.

Today's Show: Wingnuts Smear Joe.My.God

4:30pm EST: Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God. joins me this afternoon to talk about his battle with Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber and the FBI.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today's Show: The Secret Lives of Buildings

3:30pm EST: Author Edward Hollis, author of The Secret Lives Of Buildings: From the Ruins of the Parthenon to the Vegas Strip in Thirteen Stories, joins us this afternoon to tell the tales of thirteen buildings that have embodied Western culture through their transformations.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free three-day pass or, if you have an iPhone, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.