ENDA Goes Before House Rules Committee; Headed to Floor

Gay City News reports that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is currently before the House Rules Committee and is headed to the floor at some point this week. The version of the bill before the committee does not include protections for transgender individuals:

"According to Steve Adamske, a spokesman for out gay Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, ENDA's lead sponsor, the Committee will take up the measure in the form it was scaled back to in late September, at Frank's recommendation, to include only sexual orientation - and not gender identity and expression - as a protected class."

Rep. Tammy Baldwin's amendment, which would add protections for transgender individuals back into the bill, may be heard on the floor as well, however, the exact process by which that would occur is reportedly being considered by the Rules Committee.

Baldwin declined to add her name in support of the watered-down ENDA (she was a co-sponsor of the original bill), and several Democrats may defect in their support of it due to the lack of transgender inclusion. However, Gay City News notes, the fact that is in committee is a signal that leadership feels it has the votes to pass the bill.

ENDA Heading to Floor This Week [gay city news]

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Pat Boone Helms Homophobic Robo-calls in Kentucky Governor Race

The gubernatorial race in Kentucky between Ernie Fletcher and Steve Beshear is heading into its final days. Beshear has a double-digit lead in the polls and it appears the state GOP is pulling out its biggest fear tactic in the eleventh hour — gays. They've paid for two robo-calls voiced by Christian warbler Pat Boone to go out to voters in the state warning them about Beshear's positions on gay rights.

The first ad warns: "His opponent is so ultra-liberal he’s just been enthusiastically endorsed by C-FAIR, a prominent gay rights advocacy group. They’re convinced Beshear is their guy. Now you have to ask, 'Do you really want Kentucky to become another San Francisco?' Please re-elect Ernie Fletcher."

And here's what the second, longer spot has to say:

"Hello friends. This is Pat Boone - a fellow Kentuckian by descent from granddaddy Dan'l. I've always been proud of Kentucky's stance on patriotic, military and moral issues - a great heritage. Now, as an American and a Christian I'm very concerned about the upcoming governor's election. Ernie Fletcher is a typical Kentuckian. He's worked long and hard for the state, its people, and its traditions. And of course he's come under attack by political opponents. And now, he faces a man who wants his job, who has consistently supported every homosexual cause - same-sex marriage, gay adoption, special rights to gay, lesbian, bisexual even transgender individuals. The prominent gay advocacy group CFAIR just enthusiastically endorsed Beshear, knowing he's their guy. Kentuckians have already voted to amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Now, do you want a governor who would like Kentucky to be another San Francisco? Please re-elect Ernie Fletcher. This message paid for by the Republican Party of Kentucky."

Listen to them both here.

Kentucky GOP Pushing Anti-Gay Message In Final Days Of Gov Race [talking points memo]

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Prince William Snapped in Nude Royal Paparazzi Parody

A new book from photographer Alison Jackson entitled Alison Jackson: Confidential depicts celebrities and public figures behaving badly. It's a play on the "gotcha" paparazzi photo using look-alikes.

According to the New York Post: "Among the realistic-looking fakes are: Brad Pitt shaving Angelina Jolie's legs; a jailed Paris Hilton paying another inmate to scrub her toilet bowl; Mick Jagger getting his lips injected with collagen; a masked Michael Jackson putting lipstick on a crying baby; Catherine Zeta-Jones helping Michael Douglas fit into a corset; Jennifer Lopez struggling to pull a pair of jeans over her ample caboose; Queen Elizabeth II, panties down, sitting on the john; Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama being served by a topless waitress and President Bush and Tony Blair relaxing in white bathrobes as Blair strums a guitar."

A disclaimer in the book also reads: "All well-known individuals depicted in this book are not 'real.' [They] have not approved them, nor has their approval been sought..."

After the jump, a few more images from the book...I've spared you the shot of Elton John getting a colonic.

Alison Jackson: Confidential [amazon]

(source)

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NC State Athlete Arrested for Performing Oral Sex on Teammate

A North Carolina State tennis player has been charged with "crimes against nature" after allegedly performing oral sex on one of his teammates.

ABC11 reports: "Details of the incident were released in a search warrant. There was an off-campus party last Friday at the apartment of one of the tennis team members. The player told police he went to bed around 3 a.m. Saturday and was awakened two hours later by Bivens performing oral sex on him. Police arrested and served Bivens with the search warrant that allowed investigators get a saliva sample. He was released on bond that same day. None of the tennis team members or the coach will comment on the incident though they know about the charges against Bivens."

The NC State athletic department says the player's status with the team has not changed.

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News: Modernist House, Shia LaBeouf, Pig Beast, Writer's Strike

California wingnuts launch referendum bid to overturn sexual orientation discrimination law in schools: "The legislation, Senate Bill 777, was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month with little notice because the governor, at nearly the same time, vetoed the same-sex marriage bill. Conservative groups say the bill would require far-reaching changes in school curriculum and activities. 'This will mean either getting rid of mom and dad or adding a homosexual couple,' in a textbook, said Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Family Impact."

David Beckham gets himself caught up in the excitement of his Hollywood charity game for wildfire victims.

Giant "pig-like beast" discovered deep in Brazil's Amazon rainforest: "The newly named beast (Pecari maximus) was found in the basin of the Rio Aripuanã and confirmed to be a distinct species via a genetic analysis conducted by the Leiden Centre for Environmental Sciences in the Netherlands. Though new to science, locals already knew about the creature. Tupi Indians called it Caitetu Munde, which means 'great peccary which lives in pairs.'"

Shia LaBeouf arrested for refusing to leave a Chicago Walgreens. (mugshot)

Royal blackmailer Ian Strachan and accomplice are denied bail: " Lawyers representing Ian Strachan, 30, applied for bail at the Old Bailey but it was turned down by Mr Justice Gross. The hearing had been due to take place in private, but was opened to the press following legal representation by media groups. A previous application last week was adjourned after a few minutes because the lawyers needed more time to prepare. Strachan, who is in custody at Belmarsh prison, was not at the hearing." It was also recently revealed that Strachan's accomplice Sean McGuigan received funds from Prince Charles in 1993 to set up a car wash business: "He spent a £1,500 loan on buckets, sponges and cleaning fluid and a further £1,000 grant for other start-up costs for the firm Star Craft in Fulham, London."

As Hollywood writers strike, some, like BJ Novak of The Office, are caught in the crossfire.

Jake Gyllenhaal lashes out at paparazzo. If you've got the cash on hand, you can join him for lunch.

Retired Catholic bishop charged with repeated sexual assault on 42-year-old Cuban man: "The suit alleges the Most Rev. Priamo Tejeda, a retired bishop of the Diocese of Baní in the Dominican Republic, began assaulting the man while Tejeda was an active bishop and continued the assaults over an 11-year period, most recently in Broward County in 2005. The suit doesn’t say that any of the alleged assaults took place in Southwest Florida. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is identified by only his initials: 'J.G.' In the suit, J.G. alleges Tejeda contacted him in Miami in January 2005 to discuss employment opportunities within the Diocese of Venice, which has jurisdiction over 10 counties in Florida, including Collier and Lee. After Tejeda arrived in Miami, he drove J.G. to an apartment and then Tejeda forced himself sexually on J.G., the suit states. 'He was threatening him with deportation or arrest,' said J.G.’s lawyer, Ronald Weil of Miami."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard not amused by same-sex attraction query.

$12 million Modernist architectural "treasure" to hit the market in Provincetown: "Built by former Clark University psychology professor Carl Murchison and his worldly wife, Dorotea, the house has been off-limits to the public for years. Passersby seeking a glimpse of the house were shooed away by the Murchisons' reclusive daughter-in-law, who owned the house until her death earlier this year. But now, this unique property is at a pivotal moment in its history: The Murchisons' heir is selling the house. When it hits the market for about $12 million, as soon as this month, its fate will be subject to the whims of the luxury real estate market, which often values waterview properties much more for the development potential of the land than for the architectural significance of the house on it."

ABC News caught doing undercover story on gay kissing.

Sex sting at Daytona Beach's Volusia Mall nets former city commissioner and high school teacher. Police chief: "The reason that we did this sting is we all go to the mall; our kids go into the bathroom. That they could be susceptible to this kind of behavior is absolutely a disgrace."

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Cristiano Ronaldo Has Some Seductive Weapons in His Arsenal

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, fully recovered from his recent black eye, bid a fond farewell to rival midfielder Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal following their 2-2 match-up on Saturday.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

You may have missed...
Cristiano Ronaldo: Me Look Pretty One Day [tr]
Cristiano Ronaldo is Back [tr]
Cristiano Ronaldo Takes a Hit Where it Counts [tr]

(image source, source)

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