As the Sept. 11 deadline to appeal a District Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling overturning California’s Proposition 8 approaches, the chances that the measure banning same-sex measure will have a valid defendant seem increasingly slim.

Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have stated that they are not interested in defending the measure. And it looks like no one can make them.

A California court on Thursday denied a petition filed by Pacific Justice Institute on behalf of Joshua Beckley, a senior pastor Ecclesia Christian Fellowship in San Bernardino, that sought to force the officials to file an appeal notice.

According to The Advocate:

Kevin Snider, chief counsel for Pacific Justice Institute, told The Advocate on Tuesday that Schwarzenegger’s stance denies voters the right “to a fair and meaningful review of Prop. 8 in the appellate courts.”

Brown, however, replied in a statement that he did “not believe that he can be forced to prosecute an appeal of a decision with which he agrees.”

Oral arguments in the appeal filed by the coalition of groups that initially sponsored Prop. 8 are set to begin December, but there has been speculation that they do not have the authority to appeal. The Associated Press reports that 27 members of the California Assembly have requested that the governor appeal if Brown won’t.

It has been announced by Scandinavian airline SAS that they will host the first-ever in-flight gay ceremony. The question over who will tie the knot is still “up in the air,” reports New York Daily News, as SAS looks for the perfect couple to participate in the mile-high ceremony from Stockholm to New York. The ceremony will take place in Swedish territory, where gay marriage is legal.

Portland has been popping out new queer nights like a randy rabbit lately but Mrs. — Mississippi Studios’ new costume-centric dance night — is a party we can really get behind.

Mrs. taps into the performing spirit of Portland’s queers with monthly themes and titles awarded to the homo who best represents them. The first installment — Saturday, September 4 — features drag performer and dance Kaj-anne Pepper as its “Mrs. First Time.”

As the theme implies, attendees are encourage to wear their whitest whites and their most virginal expressions. The next month’s Mrs. will be chosen from the crowd — sort of like Ms. Thing, only you don’t have to get on stage, or display any particular talent (besides a flare for giving good face) to win.

The night will feature a performance by Kaj-anne Pepper and is hosted by Beyondadoubt, Trans Fat & Il Camino, and Bloodhound & The Wolf. Bloodhound Photobooth will be on hand to capture the crowd’s fleeting chastity.

The party starts at 9 p.m. at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi Ave., $5.

The folks at Disko Warp Records will bring their refined palates’ worth of Euro-dance, happy hardcore and beat-happy jams to Ground Kontrol tomorrow night for the official pre-party for Kumoricon 2010!

In celebration of Oregon’s largest anime convention, Disko Warp is inviting Oregon’s sexy, nerdy, anime-loving queers to Ground Kontrol for an evening of radical video gaming, cosplay, beer and happy hardcore tunes. The evening will double as the CD release party for Anime Love Hardcore, a new album full of high-energy remixes of the best anime theme songs, produced by Portland’s happy hardcore superstar Initial P! The album features themes from shows like Rurouni Kenshin, Evangelion, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Lupin the 3rd, and Gurren Laggan and more!

The fun starts at 9 p.m., and it’s totally free.

Kumoricon 2010 runs September 4 – 6 at the Hilton and Executive Tower in Downtown Portland.

Cattitude performs at Homomentum's "Gaycadamy Awards."

The monthly queer cabaret Homomentum is set to return from a summer hiatus with a new night and venue. Max Voltage of Pants Off Productions announced Thursday that Homomentum will run November-April, every first Friday at the Fez Ballroom.

Also new in Homomentum’s second season is compensation for performers. Each act will receive $20-$50 depending on event attendance.

“I know putting together numbers costs money, and hopefully this will help off-set those costs,” Voltage wrote in the announcement.

The themes for the first two shows have also been announced, and Voltage encourages prospect performers to submit their ideas if they are interested in participating. The theme for November 5 will be “Rebels & Outlaws” and the December 3 show will use the infamous “Snow-pocolypse” as its inspiration.

“I encourage you to perform a thematic number, but feel free to interpret the theme as liberally/creatively as you like, and its not required to be in-theme,” Voltage wrote.”Keep in mind all acts must adhere to an anti-oppression perspective, and not be racist, sexist, classist, size-ist, able-ist, or re-enforce oppressive stereotypes.”

Voltage is also trying to round up folks for a group super hero photo shoot to use for Homomentum publicity materials. Details are still in the works, but it can’t hurt to dust off the cape now.

“Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” – a popular campfire and children’s song in Australia – has received a bit of an augmentation, at least in one school. Principal Garry Martin of Le Page Primary School in Melbourne said he instructed students to substitute the line “Fun your life must be” for the original “Gay your life must be” when singing the song – a move he said was not meant to offend, but rather to keep the children from laughing.

Martin said he was playing a recording of the song for the students about a month ago when the line “gay your life must be” produced a flurry of giggles throughout the classroom. Some of the students use the word “gay” as a schoolyard taunt, he said, but don’t understand its true meaning. And so, to calm them down, he told them to swap in the word “fun” for “gay.”

“It wasn’t misplaced political correctness, it wasn’t homophobia, there was nothing really calculated in doing it,” he told The Associated Press. “I could’ve stopped the whole class and gone into a very caring, supportive explanation of gay being quite a reasonable choice in lifestyle that some people make, but I was only talking with 7- and 8-year-olds and I think that sort of thing is better explained more fully with parents.”

One of the students told their parent about the lyric switch, and the issue has since been plagued by controversy, albeit a lukewarm one, even from Australian gay rights advocacy groups.

Crusader Hillis, CEO of the gay and lesbian advocacy group The Also Foundation, didn’t go that far — but he did call the lyrical swap an overreaction.

“It sends a signal to people that just because a word has two meanings, that one of those meanings is unacceptable and that’s really putting us backwards,” Hillis said. “Even if it’s done for good intentions because ‘gay’ is being used in schoolyards as a slur, I think they need to use the word as a conversation rather than banning it.”

Martin has said he will speak with students about how different words hold different meanings across generations.

Yesterday, Vanity Fair’s scathing story on Sarah Palin started circulating the internet. Writer Michael David Gross followed Palin around the country (on her “road show,” as he calls it), documenting her every move, examining her every speech, and interviewing (or, rather, trying to) anyone who is or ever has been close to her. While most of what Gross “finds” isn’t particularly shocking–she still exhibits an uncanny charisma, she allegedly had no idea who Margaret Thatcher was, her shrinking inner circle isn’t willing to go “on the record”–some of the particulars are undeniably fascinating. Gross explores her small town roots, her unprecedented rise to stardom, her intense/allegedly explosive family dynamics, and speculates about her future plans and ambitions.

Gross aptly points out that no other prominent political/media figure so easily influences the headlines of the day with so little effort. Palin often alters our entire national discourse with a mere Twitter post. (She first coined the phrase “death panels,” undeniably altering the landscape of the health care reform debate.) Yes, according to the article, media outlets do have an unnatural fascination with her; that said, her devoted followers are, day by day, growing in number, not shrinking. Whatever she says, whatever her message, she’s striking a nerve. Gross writes, “People who admire her believe she is just like them, and this conviction seems to satisfy their curiosity about the objective facts of her life. Those whose curiosity has not been satisfied have their work cut out for them.”

Palin, despite her constant references to heavenly “angels vs. demons” battles (she’s quoted as constantly asking for “prayer cover”), the often maddeningly simplistic, folksy speeches (frequently accompanied by “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”), and the glaring holes in her record, clearly isn’t going anywhere. And that’s not simply because the media pays attention to her, Gross points out. Her sphere of influence grows–as does her pile of cash–and her followers become more and more steadfast in their love and adoration of the “North Star.” Stay tuned: Gross alludes to an ominous (possible campaign?) announcement coming at Glenn Beck’s rally in Alaska on 9/11, where a “special guest” is on the bill. Yikes.

Here, again, the story.

Photo courtesy of AP

Nikki Araguz, a transgender widow in Texas, is currently fighting a legal battle to maintain death benefits following her firefighter husband’s death. Her late husband’s ex-wife and parents are suing to prevent Araguz from receiving the benefits, arguing that her marriage was void because she was born male and Texas does not recognize same-sex marriage.

Transgender Texans, and supporters of equality across the nation, are watching the case closely, as it stands to impact many more people than just Araguz. Cristan Williams, of the Houston-based Transgender Foundation of America, has been providing commentary on the issue via YouTube. In her latest video, posted by the Dallas Voice, she warns of the serious implications a loss for Araguz would carry for other Transgender Texans:

If Nikki loses, you lose your legal status. It doesn’t matter what your doctor says. It doesn’t matter what your chromosomes say. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re intersexed. It doesn’t matter if your birth certificate says you’re female when you’re male-to-female. It doesn’t matter. What will matter is that a small town judge has said that you’re legally male if you’re male-to-female. And that if you’re female to male, well, you’re legally a woman for the rest of eternity. That’s what this case is about, and I don’t know that people really understand that. … This case is huge. It affects the lives of thousands and thousands and thousands of people.

Watch the entire video here.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Portland-by-way-of-Hawaii crooner Niki Villiarimo journeyed down to San Francisco to audition for American Idol for the second time in three years. Having come off of a stirring third place finish in Red Cap Garage’s first Portland Idol competition in late July (a competition won by the very deserving Tamra Scanlan), Villiarimo was in high spirits and top form for his second chance at international superstardom.

Alas, his bid for reality TV immortality was short-lived, as he failed to make it past the audition process. But where there were no doubt disappointments from Villiarimo, it’s a winning result for Portland’s live entertainment scene, as Villiarimo plans to scorch the city with a flurry of new projects.

During his stint in the City by the Bay, Just Out caught up with the young singer to pick his brain on his craft, his background and what the future holds. Check it out after the jump!

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Britain Foreign Secretary William Hague said a male special adviser with whom he shared a hotel room had resigned Wednesday over “malicious” claims that they had an “inappropriate relationship,” reports the Associated Free Press. Following days of newspaper and Internet chatter about Hague’s relationship with adviser Christopher Myers, along with rumors of Hague’s marriage being in trouble, Myers resigned as a result of the psubsequent pressure on his family.

“Any suggestion that his appointment was due to an improper relationship between us is utterly false, as is any suggestion that I have ever been involved in a relationship with any man,” Hague said.

Hague, 49, who became foreign secretary after elections in May, said the speculation over his ties with Myers “seems to stem from the fact that whilst campaigning before the election we occasionally shared twin hotel rooms.”

“He has now told me that, as a result of the pressure on his family from the untrue and malicious allegations made about him, he does not wish to continue in his position,” the foreign secretary said.

Hague said that his marriage to his wife Ffion, whom he married in 1997, remained strong despite their difficulties in conceiving children.

“We have encountered many difficulties and suffered multiple miscarriages, and indeed are still grieving for the loss of a pregnancy this summer,” he said.