News, Montana, Anderson Cooper, MLK Parade, Lutherans
LGBT marchers battered with insults at Atlanta MLK day parade: "Y’all gay? OK, alright," one man shouted before backing away and turning around. "You can look at them and tell [they’re gay], they don’t need no signs."

Go west: gays buying up property in Red Lodge, Montana.
Nigeria is about to have a major crackdown on gays: "Though presented as a simple ban on marriage, the long-winded 'Prohibition of Relationships Between Persons of the Same Sex, Celebration of Marriage by Them, and for Other Matters Connected Therewith' will bar all expressions and endorsements of homosexuality."
Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose is the proud mother to a baby boy.
Jim McGreevey's wife is "eager to counter the version of events the ex-governor offered in his own memoir" according to the New York Daily News. Dina McGreevey: "I've had a lot of requests for interviews and appearances, but thought it best for my daughter and myself to stay out of the public maelstrom. But two years have passed and still I am the subject of much speculation as to the nature of my relationship with my husband. Enough is enough."
Just an itty bitty correction: David Beckham's L.A. Galaxy contract is worth $50 million, and not $250 million as first reported.

Because he announced he has found a lifelong male partner, openly gay Rev. Bradley Schmeling must face trial by a Lutheran committee who may defrock him: "The ELCA maintains it is simply following its own rules, which bar unmarried clergy — whether gay or straight — from having sex. The denomination believes that sex is reserved for marriage and marriage for heterosexual couples. Still, many Lutheran churches support ordaining partnered gays and perform same-sex blessing ceremonies despite the policy."
REPORT: Anderson Cooper renews his contract with CNN for more than $4 million a year.
Britney Spears has been busy checking out the gay nightlife in L.A. and Vegas.
Liza Minnelli and David Gest are finally ready to divorce...in Tennessee: "Before filing for divorce, Gest sued Minnelli for $10 million for assault, claiming that his wife had beaten him so badly during alcoholic rages that she caused him nerve damage and caused him to be hospitalized for five days. Minnelli countersued, claiming that Gest had stolen at least $2 million she earned while performing in shows he had produced. Lorraine Nadel, Gest's lawyer in the assault lawsuit and in the Minnelli countersuit, confirmed that legal battle was over. She said the settlement terms were confidential and would not say whether either paid the other any money."




I always found Lauren Ambrose's performances on Six Feet Under to be remarkably contrived and affected. I wanted so badly to like her because the character was written with such affection...but I just couldn't get past her facial twitches and over-acting. Did anyone else have the same reaction to her (I notice the folks at the Emmy Awards didn't because they nominated her for Best Actress)?
Posted by: peterparker | Jan 19, 2007 3:15:53 PM
I live in Atlanta and I never knew that slurs were being thrown at MLK marchers. I guess it didn't make the local news.
Posted by: Matt | Jan 19, 2007 4:12:30 PM
There is a ridiculous amount of homophobia in Black community and it's no secret. There is rampant racism within the gay community there's no denying that. I'm glad that at least more of these stories are coming to light so that both sides might discover common ground as people and move to meet somewhere in the middle...it's encouraging that the gay marchers showed the courage and fortitude to turn out for the march in spite of the insults they had to endure...
Posted by: yeahisaidit | Jan 19, 2007 4:23:44 PM
Just an anecdote, but of all the gay people I know and have known over the years the only ones disowned by their families were white.
Posted by: Jorge | Jan 19, 2007 4:30:35 PM
Oh, thank you, Lord Jesus. My fasting and praying and incalculable time on my knees generally have not been for naught. Thank you, Savior, now AC can afford to redecorate his closet-à-terre. "Hello, Mummy. Did you see my latest picture in 'People'?...Yes....I know...yes! Did you save me some of that divooo Lily of the Valley fabric like you promised? You DID?! Gosh, you're swell! You're the best heiress mommy who porked Howard Hughes and Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando and who's own mumsy was a lez that anyone ever had. ...No, I do NOT believe Frankie was THAT big, you Camp! ...MUU-UTHHERRRR! STOP!!!...TMI! TIM!!!.... Yes, I am keeping the leather walls. ... for the thousandth time, it's called a 'sling' ..yes, for exercise...No, you know I can't go to a public gym anymore. Someone's always pulling their camera phone out in the steam room....THEIR CAMERA!!!! ...Yes. No...Sorry, I have to run. Nate Berkus is returning my call about shagging I mean about RUGS! Kisses!"
Posted by: Leland | Jan 19, 2007 4:31:38 PM
PeterParker,
I loved her Lauren as Claire on Six Feet Under. i thought she was pitch-perfect as the art school girl gone awry. I knew a few women exactly like her in college.
We live in alternate universes. Strange days, indeed.
Posted by: Marco | Jan 19, 2007 4:53:59 PM
"There is a ridiculous amount of homophobia in Black community and it's no secret."
I love this. If you read the article, you would see that it was *one* person (race not mentioned) out of who knows how many. And the marchers were supported by many more spectators according to the article.
With this and the foaming at the mouth trolls reacting to the Isaiah Washington incident, I have an idea. How about a moratorium on even mentioning black people at all on Towleroad? Seriously. If it's just going to attract trolls looking to throw around the N-word, or shake their heads patronizingly saying that all black people are homophobic and stupid, etc., I would just rather not even have black people brought up. In any way, shape, or form. Just pretend they dont exist as in the real world and we can avoid this lazy minded nastiness. Cool? Cool.
Posted by: Charles | Jan 19, 2007 4:58:41 PM
Oh, Charles. Surely you know that your proposal has already been been in effect in one way or another for quite awhile. Pretend they don't exist? Done!
Posted by: 000000 | Jan 19, 2007 5:32:46 PM
And of course there is no homophobia in the White community. You know aside from the guys who killed Matthew Shepard, the Phelps Clan, James Dobson, most of the conservative talk show hosts, the people who killed Brandon Tina and Gwen Arruyo, the people in charge of the ex-gay movements, the majority of the people who voted against and passed ammendments banning marriage in over 20 states, the White people who gay bash other White people. But aside from that there's no homophobia at all. The Black community sure could learn by example.
Posted by: Cadence | Jan 19, 2007 6:03:51 PM
...look charles, to try and clarify, the statement i made was not meant in a hateful manner or to imply that every Black person hates gays or vice versa...if that's how it sounded FORGIVE ME...and yes, LOTS of people (Black, white, gay, etc..) don't fit that generalization...but hopefully those that do will find more of the common ground i spoke of...that is all...
Posted by: yeahisaidit | Jan 19, 2007 6:10:11 PM
p.s. is there any possiblity that we could just start over? so, how's everyone doing today?
Posted by: yeahisaidit | Jan 19, 2007 6:18:15 PM
@YEAHISAIDIT, Yes it did sound like you were generalizing and apology accepted.(At least by me.)
Charles I want to thank you for saying that and bringing up a good point. But as annoying and infuriating as it gets on here sometimes, I don't think that ignoring Blacks is the answer. We need to keep calling it out, because if it isn't said here, it's will be said someplace else.
And Andy, I understand that it is your blog and you post what you want. But maybe it would help if you increased the diversity of your reporting, with more positive stories concerning minorities. I've seen plenty of "filler" stories and more interesting stories have fallen through the cracks. And I will help by searching for and submitting more stories in that vein. And I suggest that Charles, Cadence, 000000, and anybody else who wants to see more positive diversity, do the same thing.
Peace y'all.
Posted by: soulbrotha | Jan 19, 2007 6:32:15 PM
Good for Anderson Cooper. I'm in the minority here but I like him and am glad to see that he'll remain at CNN.
Posted by: Ron | Jan 19, 2007 7:07:15 PM
i'm glad to see anderson get that contract, and it doesn't seem excessive knowing that he's carrying that station these days. altho his show has been rather tunnel-visioned lately, i still like his work... he seems like a good guy.
Posted by: A.J. | Jan 19, 2007 7:30:41 PM
Count me as someone who loved Lauren Ambrose on "Six Feet Under."
Her scenes in the art classes struck a chord with me because it called up memories of my own college art courses.
I see what you're saying Peterparker. She did play the character with a lot of twitches, but I think that was the point of the character. She was loveable but also deeply flawed (as were most of us as adolescents!)
Posted by: mark m | Jan 19, 2007 7:53:01 PM
I live in a rocky mountain town a thousand people shy of Red Lodge. I've been here for going on two decades and my family has been here for five generations. I cringe when I read articles like the one you postedvregarding Red Lodge, Montana.
One trend that I tire of is reporters who invade a place they know nothing about and arrive with all sorts of misguided assumptions. Often these professionals write for the NY Times, offering these harebrained reports claiming "Gays" have discovered such and such locale-usually in the Intermountain West or in the south.
How lucky for the good people of Red Lodge that gay men are buying second homes in Big Sky Country, right? Such accounts usually come accompanied with some sort of write up offering cliched "surprise" at how tolerant the newest last best place is. It's as if the idea that gays have happily resided in these places before their most recent discovery, quietly living simple, off the radar screen lives, is impossible.
How happy those of us who've been here all along should be that we've been "discovered" by all these urban, upper class transplants! We have supported our home towns through all sorts of challenges...the crash in beef prices, the timber industry and mining to name a few. We who've always been here are the ones who fostered these tolerant attitudes. We never gave up on our home towns or retreated to the "safer" cities.
Just once it would be nice to see our investment recognized.
Frankly I was pretty happy with the old crowd.
I pretty much know a place is ruined for good
Posted by: timbo | Jan 19, 2007 9:15:02 PM
I ain't spending 1/2 million dollars to live in your city...I can barely afford living in NYC... we're going to be taking over your town like "pods"...well NOT the eastern fags...maybe the Pacific coast will overtake the town...those guys are an exemption...with a plane etc...that's alot of money coming into the house...it is pretty town though!
Posted by: tc | Jan 19, 2007 11:24:46 PM