Briefs: Sept. 2

Honey Shakespeare: Details, the metrosexual male's magazine of choice, is known for popularizing faddish cultural buzzwords (like "metrosexual"). The latest, from the current issue: "Lesbros." What's a lesbro, you ask? According to the magazine, it's a straight man who enjoys hanging out with, but not sexually pursuing, lesbians. And get this: "The term lesbro was coined by Honey Harris, a DJ for Santa Fe's KBAC," Details says. Move over, Cormac McCarthy. Harris tells Details the word, as she coined it, had a different meaning: "I used it to describe lesbians like myself who like to hang out with guys but sleep with women."

Of course, there's already a term for straight women who hang out with gay men…What about lesbians who hang out with straight guys in hopes of sleeping with them? Oh, that's right: The word is "imaginary."

No Castro Speeches Here: The Northern New Mexico Central Labor Council will hold a health care reform rally on Labor Day—the Monday you should get off, Sept. 7—from noon-3 pm at the Santa Fe Railyard Park. There will be food, and Joe West will play "labor songs," SEA-CWA Local 7076 President Robin Gould says. Gould promises speeches will be limited to three minutes because, in past years, "they would go on for an hour and a half…enough is enough."

US Dems Rep. Ben Ray Luján and Sen. Tom Udall will be there, but not Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who is playing a key role in the health care debate and draws Gould's ire for not supporting the Employee Free Choice Act (which would make union organizing easier). Gould wonders if this is Bingaman's last term. Last year on a lobbying trip she asked his staff that question and "they denied that his plan was to not run again and get a nice fat cat's job," Gould says.

Aw, Natural: Two Santa Fe legislators are among the handful of state lawmakers to receive 100 percent ratings on the Conservation Voters New Mexico's annual scorecard.

Rep. Brian Egolf and Sen. Peter Wirth, both D-Santa Fe, each cast 11 votes on bills in agreement with CVNM on issues ranging from water quality to green-industry investment.

Other Santa Fe Democratic legislators didn't score nearly as well: House Speaker Ben Luján earned 60 percent (down from 81 percent in 2008); Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, 75 percent (down from 88 percent) and Sen. Phil Griego, 20 percent (down from 74 percent).
Republican leadership flunked the environmental group's test with House Minority Whip Keith Gardner, R-Chaves, scoring 11 percent and Senate Minority Floor Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Chaves, scoring 8 percent.

Santa Fe Reporter