the buzz log

To promote the ongoing cause of same-sex marriage, supporters are borrowing a page from the immigrant playbook and declaring December 10th "A Day Without a Gay." People of any sexual orientation are encouraged to miss work by calling in gay, an idea that doubtless has satire newspaper editors at The Onion banging their head against the wall at the missed opportunity.

Of course, the passage of Proposition 8 in California (which banned same-sex marriages) inspired the national protest, set to coincide with International Human Rights Day. The notion has stimulated slackers excited about this unparalleled opportunity to skip work on Wednesday, and searches for "day without a gay," "call in gay day," and "calling in gay" percolated online.

According to the Associated Press, a comedian and his beau came up with the boycott (and the website). CNN credits a film producer for a similar concept, which was actually a 2006 A&E original movie called "Wedding Wars," in which a gay party planner, played by John Stamos, goes on strike. (Yes, Stamos.)

Economic correctness, already responsible for cancelled holiday parties and executive carpooling to government bailout hearings, has dictated that the Wednesday boycott have a community service twist. Boycotters are urged to do volunteer work (better PR than wholesale goofing off).

For those uncomfortable with taking the day off, DWAGers are all about alternatives. Their "Join the Impact" site suggests volunteering after work, abstaining from purchases, cutting off TV or cell phone use, packing lunch ahead of time, and avoiding going online...whaaa? Apparently, the savvy organizers don't even want online advertisers to benefit from bored boycotters surfing the Net.

Whether such proscriptions backfire by making employees more productive than ever remains to be seen. The other unanswered question: How will this affect same-sex marriage opponents who have the sniffles and are thinking about staying home to rest?