In a column defending the Pope’s anti-condom stance, Washington Times columnist Jeffery T. Kuhner has some advice today for District residents who don’t want to contract HIV. Let’s take a look!

The District’s official report this week was astounding: The number of people with HIV infections rose 22 percent from 2006 to 2007. More ominously, the report said 6.5 percent of the city’s black men are infected—that is more than 1 in 20. The disease is decimating not only the District’s gay community, but its African-American neighborhoods. Yet, the city has a major condom distribution program: More than 1.5 million condoms were distributed in 2008. In other words, it is raining condoms and still the District’s AIDS rate is soaring. The answer is not free birth control or more sex education, but a return to the old Judeo-Christian moral order—marriage, abstinence and personal responsibility.

If Kuhner thinks that marriage is a leading protector against HIV, and that “the District’s gay community” is the one most affected by the crisis, what better solution to stop HIV than to OK gay marriage? Ever since the new District’s AIDS numbers came out, conservatives have been quick to point out that throwing condoms at HIV is about as effective as throwing the Pope at Africa. It’s time for conservatives to bolster their anti-condom stances with real solutions: Allowing men to have monogamous gay sex under legal marriage protection.

* Want everyone to have to experience your fetus’ kicking? Now you can, with kickbee!

* WhozHe at SGL Universe wonders about an increase in deadly violence against gays in Dupont Circle, citing Tuesday’s shooting of 35-year-old Durval V. Martins and the September attack of Tony Randolph Hunter. Martins was killed at 11th and Q Sts. NW, Hunter attacked at 9th & N Sts. NW. Troubling, of course, but closer to Shaw than the gay community epicenter in either case.

* And now in Danny Glover social justice news! The civil rights expert and sometime curmudgeonly veteran cop who forms an unlikely partnership with a hotshot suicidal homicide sergeant portrayed on screen by Mel Gibson, is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage.

* The Dayton Business Journal spots a trend! Man Madness be damned, female partners are becoming more common in law firms, the DBJ claims. How do they know? Well:

Female lawyers make up 45 percent of associates at U.S. law firms, but only about 19 percent of partners, according to October numbers from the National Association for Law Placement. Those percentages are up just slightly from the same data collected in 2003, when women made up 43 percent of associates and 17 percent of partners.

If that’s not compelling enough, listen to these quotes from dudes about why the process totally isn’t sexist:

“It wouldn’t surprise me if some people assume that because there are more male partners in a firm that there’s some sort of subtle gender discrimination,” said James Gottman, managing partner at the Dayton office of Dinsmore and Shohl. “But I would find it hard to believe that it happens at any firm.”

“That sort of thing takes a while to change,” Gottman said.

“It was motivating to know how flexible and accommodating they were,” [lady lawyer Suzanne] Sumner said. “You have to have a good firm, and good men, to recognize the good women.”

* Meanwhile, the Washington Times spots a crisis! Well, well, cue the kitty cat noises and fill the kiddie pool with puddin’! According to WaTi, “High-end stores are stocking fewer gowns than usual this year, says fashion industry guru Cynthia O’Connor, increasing a woman’s likelihood of appearing at an inaugural ball in the same outfit as somebody else.”

Photo via trialsanderrors.

City Paper’s Loose Lips columnist, Mike DeBonis, has the run-down on a D.C. gay marriage timeline:

In the Blade, Lou Chibbaro Jr. runs down some of the challenges facing a ballot referendum banning gay marriage in the District. They are many: For one, 21,000 signatures is a lot.

Meanwhile, in WaTimes, Gary Emerling examines how gay-marriage advocates are “re-evaluating their strategy.” Pretty much everybody says it’s all about timing. Emerling manages to get one minister on the record, the Rev. Derrick Harkins of Nineteenth Street Baptist, who says he doesn’t think a bill “would be met with great enthusiasm on the part of the African-American church.”

The Manliest Workplace in D.C. tournament, in which we rate local businesses based on the man factor of their org charts, kicks off today. Check out our online bracket for all 64 workplaces that will be competing in the coming weeks. We’re starting with the media bracket this week, culling top jobs from editorial, advertising, and production floors. And now, for our first media match-up: Who’s manlier, the Washington Times or the Washingtonian?

And they’re off!

THE WASHINGTON TIMES: Founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1982, the paper is a rare conservative beacon in a town of dirty liberals. But are they manly conservatives, or mere equal-opportunity ones? Let’s go to the org chart!

Chairman of the Board Douglas D.M. Joo (Male, 10 points)
President and Publisher Thomas P. McDevitt (Male, 9 points)
Executive Editor John Solomon (Male, 8 points)
Chief Financial Officer Keith Cooperridedr (Male, 7 points)
Associate Publisher Richard H. Amberg Jr. (Male, 6 points)
V.P., Sales & Marketing Randall S. Brant (Male, 5 points)
V.P., Strategic Development Frank Grow (Male, 4 points)
V.P., Human Resources Sonya R. Jenkins (Female, ZERO)
Managing Editor-Print David Jones (Male, 2 points)
Managing Editor-Digital Jefrrey H. Birnbaum (Male, 1 points)

Well, well, well. Look at who has all the boldy names on the masthead! (Excepting you, Sonya R. Jenkins, brave Vice President of Human Resources). The Washington Times comes out fighting on opening day with an impressive score of 52 out of 55 on the manly index (very manly). In 2002, Rev. Moon announced (in Korean) that WaTi is “responsible to let the American people know about God.” Shout it from the hilltops, staffers: The God of Washington Times is a 94.5 percent manly God.

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WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE: D.C.’s lifestyle monthly is always there to help you in all aspects of Washington livin’, from judging your “sidewalk style” to testing your bridal etiquette. But are these stylish ‘zillas the bride or the groom type? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Chairman Eleanor Merrill (Female, ZERO)
President & Publisher Catherine M. Williams (Female, ZERO)
Editor John A. Limpert (Male, 8 points)
Design Director Eileen OTousa Crowson (Female, ZERO)
Advertising Director Edward P. Mansfield Jr. (Male, 6 points)
Production Director Margaret Dooley (Female, ZERO)
Online Ed. Director Catherine Andrews (Female, ZERO)
Senior Editor Sherri Dalphonse (Female, ZERO)
Senior Editor Ken DeCell (Male, 2 points)
Senior Managing Editor William O’Sullivan (Male, 1 point)

That stings! Sure, few pubs would stand a chance against the manpower of the Washington Times—that’s why the paper was predicted a one seed, and the Washingtonian a lowly eight. Still, with only 17 points out of 55, Washingtonian Magazine is only 30% manly (hardly manly at all). Looks like the Washingtonian is out of the race early this year, but they have managed to record six parting blows in our …

GLASS CEILING CRACK COUNT! Where we record how many high-powered Washington women are chipping away at that pesky invisible promotion-killer.

Six women in the upper echelons of Washington Magazine and one at the Washington Times brings our glass ceiling crack count up to—-SEVEN!

Tune in tomorrow, when four-seed Congressional Quarterly takes on the five-seed Washington Post!

UPDATE: A reader informed me that I initially looked over Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon–a very important man—on the paper’s org chart. Well, he’s back in the game, and WaTi is manlier than ever!

My friends, stay with me tonight as I watch the third and final presidential debate—and the live-bloggers who live-blog it. That’s right, we’re live-blogging the live-bloggers here at The Sexist live blog. Who will offer the funniest/most inane commentary? Will it be Joe Curl of the Washington Times? Jim Newell at Wonkette? You, the people, twittering the night away? Stay tuned.

8:58 PM … The Washington Time has a slight edge by having a reporter live-blog from the actual debate, while Wonkette, in a stunning maverick move, looks to have decided on a squirrel theme. Good move.

9:02 PM … Silence on stage, but chatter in the blogosphere! An aimeefausser, practicing something called “twittering” (as far as I can tell, some sort of rustic artisan craft), chimes in with this analysis: “hahah john mccain looks like he wants to kick obama in the balls.” Thank you Internets.

9:05 PM … Ken Layne takes over at Wonkette: starts off with, ” It was super nice of McCain to loan Chris Matthews one of his old gay sweaters.” Zzzzzing!

9:06 PM … Curl, meanwhile, has the inside-the-debate scoop on Schieffer: “He just coughed, drank water, coughed again.” Bob Schieffer: A human!

Read More “DEBATE LIVE BLOG: Barack, John, and the Live-Bloggers Who Love Them” »

I know, I know: You don’t even want to watch the last debate. Sure, you were feeling pretty good after the first one; everything seemed so new and exciting! But then there was that vice presidential unpleasantness, and last week you found yourself whiling away your Tuesday evening with Barack and John at Town Hall Debate Nap Hour. Now, you’re not even sure you have the strength to flip on the television, much less follow an entire twitterverse of live-blogged opinions.

So join us tonight for the Sexist’s live-blog live blog, where we live-blog your live blogs for you! (Hear that, Google? We’re live-blogging!) This evening, watch the debate with us as we rate the live blogs of your favorite Washington live-bloggers, from the sarcastic leftist live-bloggings of Wonkette (rumored to have carried on domestic terrorist affair with Bill Ayers) to the hard-hitting right-wing catchphrase recycled live-bloggers over at the Washington Times (once caught attempting to nail Jello to a wall). Bonus: The best and worst of the twitter pile (I’m looking at you, Fishbowl D.C.)!

Stay tuned to The Sexist around 9 p.m. EST for all your live-blog needs. Live blog.