G-Magazine Now

Lil' Wayne Performs Final Shows Before Imprisonment

Lil' Wayne performed his farewell concert last night.  Though the bad news is that he will serve jail time, the good news is that other music artists will have to rely on their own talents than featuring Lil' Wayne on every song possible.  Additionally, the growing population of Lil' Wayne's seeds will be put on hold for a while.

Check out this news piece from AP News:

Lil' Wayne emerged as a top-selling musician known for his clever wordplay and risque lyrics, but like rappers before him, he's staring down a year behind bars at the peak of his career.

The artist returned to his hometown of New Orleans for a performance Monday on what he's calling his farewell tour. The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty in October to a weapons possession charge and will be sentenced February 9. His plea deal calls for a year in jail.

The charge stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus in New York when authorities said they smelled marijuana, and as they approached, he tossed aside a bag with a loaded .40-caliber handgun.

In a separate case, he also faces trial in March on felony drug possession and weapons charges in Yuma County, AZ. More recently, he had to postpone a show one day after authorities stopped two of his buses in Texas and found marijuana. The case has been referred to the sheriff's office.

As thousands of fans filed through the New Orleans Arena doors Monday, many said they were disappointed with the rapper's legal troubles.

"It's kinda sad, the stereotype and that he fell into it," said 19-year-old Lee Farrell of New Orleans.

Lil' Wayne is set to follow some of rap music's biggest names — from Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Beanie Sigel and Shyne to New Orleans natives Mystikal and C-Murder — who have served a few months to several years behind bars for crimes committed after they became famous.

Washington DC Mayor Signs Gay Marriage Bill

The mayor of Washington has signed a bill legalizing gay marriage in the nation’s capital, but it won’t go into effect just yet.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed the bill Friday in a public ceremony.

The city council passed the measure Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in the city. Congress has final say over D.C.’s laws, however, so the mayor’s signature doesn’t mean the bill immediately becomes law.

The bill must pass a 30-day period of Congressional review.

Supporters expect Congress won’t touch the law and that gay couples may be able to wed in the district as early as March. Opponents, however, plan to fight the bill.

Danger Of "For The Love Of Ray J" Checks Into Psych Ward

Source: TMZ

Monica Danger -- who starred in the first season of VH1's "For the Love of Ray J" -- was taken in on a 5150 psychiatric hold earlier this month after an incident involving her newborn daughter.

TMZ spoke with Danger's rep, who told us the reality star had some personal issues as a result of postpartum depression and spent a week in a psychiatric hospital in Northern California.

We're told people close to Danger became concerned when she suddenly shaved off her hair -- a la Britney -- after an argument with her baby's father.

But Danger's rep tells us she's now out of the hospital and doing "fine" adding, "At this time we ask all of Danger's fans for support and prayer."

...now what dummy never saw this coming???

U.S. House May Pass "Gay Friendly" Bills

Source: 365Gay

Two of Congress’ three openly gay members said Saturday that the U.S. House is poised to pass bills to provide health coverage for the same-sex partners of gay federal workers and to protect all gay and transgender employees from job discrimination.

Speaking to an international conference of gay politicians in San Francisco, U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jared Polis, D-Colo., said they expect a domestic partner benefits bill to come up for a vote by the end of the year and the employment bill to reach the floor early in 2010.

The lawmakers said they are also confident that the House will include in the annual military spending bill next year a provision to repeal the law that bans gays from serving in the U.S. military. All the measures face a harder time in the Senate following the death of longtime ally Sen. Edward Kennedy, but Baldwin and Polis said they remained optimistic.

“I’m hopeful we will see those three pieces of legislation make it all the way, or damn close,” said Baldwin, who is sponsoring the federal worker domestic partner bill.

Office of Personnel Management director John Berry, the Obama administration’s highest ranking gay appointee, told the conference that the president strongly supports the trio of gay rights measures.

Including transgender workers as part of the legislation to ban job discrimination and lifting the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gay service members may especially meet opposition in Congress, Berry said. But he said that with a Democrat in the White House and Democratic majorities controlling the House and the Senate, victories were “within our grasp.”

“The tide of public opinion is in our favor. The forces of intolerance are on the run. We have a president who has been clear in his support for our community and in his commitment to our equality,” Berry said. “This is the best opportunity we will ever have as a community, and shame on us if we don’t succeed.”

Although gay activists have criticized President Barack Obama for not moving more quickly on their concerns, both Polis and Baldwin said the pressure should be directed at Congress because the president can not act alone.

“LGBT leaders need to be focusing in on the people we need to win over instead of just trying to talk to our friends and being angry they haven’t delivered,” Polis said.

Hate Crime Takes Place Outside St. Louis Gay Night Spot

  

KSDK TV news reported that three gay men were attacked early Saturday morning when leaving The Complex Nightclub in St. Louis.

One of the men attacked, Jacob Piwowarczyk said, “I have a soft tissue bruise on my elbow. I have six stitches in my eye and I have a mild concussion.”

Piwowarczyk recalled there were four attackers. “They came up out of the car and they start calling us faggots.”

He continued, “We kept telling them please leave us alone, we’re fine. From there, the one kid didn’t like what we told them and decided to punch me in the eye and I fell to the ground. And at that time my friend was laying on the ground and they started kicking him in the face.”

Gay rights advocates say existing state and new federal laws on hate crimes could mean harsh penalties for the attackers.

According to the Vital Voice, Missouri was one of the first states to include both sexual orientation and gender identity protections in its 1999 Hate Crimes Law.

Piwowarczyk said, “Health-wise we’re all fine. We’re just lucky to be alive. Could have turned out worse.”

KSDK also reported that the other two victims suffered a broken nose and fractured cheekbone.

The police department is still investigating.

Source: 365Gay

DC Board Of Elections Declares No Popular Vote On Gay Marriage Rights

Source: 365Gay

Civil rights triumphed over another failed attack from advocates of discrimination when today, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics rejected a proposed referendum to put the rights of a minority up for a vote.

The proposed effort to limit the rights of District residents was brought by Stand For Marriage and Maryland pastor, Bishop Harry Jackson. The BOEE denied the referendum as a violation of the Human Rights Act of the District of Columbia.

“Equality should never be up for debate or denied on a ballot,” said D.C. resident Michael Crawford, Co-chair of D.C. for Marriage. “We only want what every other American already has – the right to marry the person we love.”

Rev. Cedric Harmon, a D.C. resident and a representative of D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality, a group of nearly 200 Washington, D.C. faith leaders representing all eight wards of the District and a variety of religious faiths added the following statement in support of the BOEE’s decision:

”It is shameful when religious leaders fail to uphold the Christian teachings of our faith by trying to institutionalize a second-class citizenship on our neighbors. People of faith have worked for generations to achieve social justice for all people — regardless of race, creed, class, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We serve our entire flock, and there is no justification under God that we should discriminate against any of God’s children.

“The District of Columbia has not voted on the civil rights of a minority since the Civil War, when a majority prevented freed male slaves from gaining the right to vote. Today, the Board of Elections and Ethics reminded us that human rights should never be put to a vote. As members of the clergy who support equal rights for all citizens, and who struggle to achieve social justice in the District of Columbia, we applaud the BOEE for standing up for human rights in the face of discrimination.”