Oregon Judge Halts Domestic Partners Law from Taking Effect

Less than a week before the Christmas holiday I posted about an out-of-state group that had filed a motion to halt Oregon's new domestic partners law from going into effect on January 1st. They succeeded, at least for now, filing a suit against the State of Oregon and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.

After falling 116 valid signatures short of the needed amount to place the measure on the 2008 ballot for a statewide vote, gay rights foes asked U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman to intercede on their behalf, saying that the verification process for the signatures is flawed and that citizens who had signed the petitions had been disenfranchised.

Mosman halted the domestic partner law, which would have given same-sex couples in the state all the rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples (aside from the "marriage" label), pending a February 1st hearing that would challenge the verification process.

Jeana Frazzini, of Basic Rights Oregon, told the AP: "It's unfair our families once again are bearing the brunt of this ongoing struggle."

Added BRO in a press release: "Our attorney believes that the judge demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of Oregon’s initiative and referendum law. Basic Rights Oregon is appalled by this outrageous ruling, and we will continue to aggressively find opportunities to participate in the case as it moves forward, doing everything in our power to get caring and committed Oregon couples and their families the legal rights and protections they need."

Oregon Domestic Partnership Law Halted [ap]
Judge blocks law allowing civil unions [the oregonian]

Previously
Relocated Anti-Gay Activist Out to Halt Oregon's Gay Rights Laws [tr]

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News: Sean Penn Badgley, Scottsdale, Hello Kitty, Giorgio Armani

Sean Penn: The future Harvey Milk ends his 11 year marriage.

Penn Badgley: hot and bothered.

Censorship debate continues surrounding the BBC's dubbing, and then undubbing of the word "faggot" from The Pogues' Christmas tune "Fairytale of New York". Times Online: "The present consensus is with MacGowan – that there is nothing wrong with using the word 'faggot' in this context. Lighten up, you Milly Tants. My unfashionable counterview is that there is something very wrong in using it, that Radio 1 was right in its original decision and should have shown more balls and stuck by it. 'Faggot' is a term of anti-gay abuse; in this song it is most definitely an insult...To say that you’re offended these days is to risk being accused of being humourless; of not getting the joke. It’s the same risk you run as a woman who is offended by the endless parade of breasts in magazines such as Nuts. The new casual homophobia is couched as a perfectly acceptable, knowing joke, and coincides with a general feeling that gays have had quite enough equality: equal age of consent; civil partnership ceremonies (but not marriage). That we are getting a little too big for our boots."

First shots of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk.

Fashion designer and Project Runway contestant Jack Mackenroth talks to NYC's HX magazine about his reaction to Sarah Jessica Parker on the show and his cameo in the upcoming Sex and the City movie, among other things: "When I watched [the reaction] back I was like, 'I am so gay.' Which is fine. I embrace the gayness. I’m super-gay. I’m a big ol’ queen...[The Sex and the City cameo] was completely unrelated. A friend of mine knew the person that was casting the extras, so he called me up and said they needed a gay guy with a good body, and I was like, 'Alright!' But she’s super-nice and totally genuine. It was very painful for her to do the critiques because she doesn’t like being mean."

Fans swarm Giorgio Armani as he visits his NYC Soho Armani Exchange store: "Everyone rushed him and started asking for autographs. It was mayhem."

Hello Kitty for Men, coming soon.

Scottsdale, Arizona bar owner converts to a gay nightclub after year-long dispute over the banning of a transgender patron: "Owner Tom Anderson (pictured on right, with co-owner brother Ted) said he made the transition in an effort to 'change Scottsdale.' The city saw a number of high-profile anti-gay and hate crimes this year, said Sam Holdren of Equality Arizona. Anderson made headlines last year when he banned a transgender woman from Anderson's Fifth Estate after female customers complained about transgender patrons using the women's restroom. The woman, Michele DeLaFreniere, filed a discrimination complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office."

A theory on Rednecks vs. Gay Marriage: "...if we are trying to explain (but not excuse) why the churchgoing divorcees oppose it, the answer is that they see homosexuality, married or not, as non-traditional. The churchgoing divorcees are not asserting their family virtue, logically conceived, but their family virtue as traditionally defined. It is the traditional definition of family virtue that prevails in the communities where the churchgoing divorcees are trying to ingratiate themselves, as a way to compensate for and cover their fractured family lives."

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Scientists: Brain Chemical Reverses Sleep Deprivation

Scientists have discovered a brain chemical that appears to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation when snorted:

"Orexin A is a promising candidate to become a "sleep replacement" drug. For decades, stimulants have been used to combat sleepiness, but they can be addictive and often have side effects, including raising blood pressure or causing mood swings. The military, for example, administers amphetamines to pilots flying long distances, and has funded research into new drugs like the stimulant modafinil and orexin A in an effort to help troops stay awake with the fewest side effects. The monkeys were deprived of sleep for 30 to 36 hours and then given either orexin A or a saline placebo before taking standard cognitive tests. The monkeys given orexin A in a nasal spray scored about the same as alert monkeys, while the saline-control group was severely impaired."

While the research is interesting, I can't imagine that an eventual drug made from this substance wouldn't lead to a whole host of new health issues for those who abuse it.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #216: Election Horserace Edition

A selection of spots from the candidates.

HILLARY CLINTON: Is silence the new theme of the Clinton campaign?

RUDY GIULIANI: Guess how long it takes for him to mention 9/11?

JOHN EDWARDS: It's time for truth.

RON PAUL: He's a defender of freedom and a bigot too? Not a believer in the theory of evolution, however.

BARACK OBAMA: Unify.

MIKE HUCKABEE: Did he just say he could mess up 65 years of that kid's life? Here's also some additional commentary from Huckabee on Bhutto's assassination, in which he discusses the need for security on Pakistan's eastern borders with Afghanistan. Too bad there aren't any. He earlier gaffed by offering apologies for Bhutto's assassination. He has also been pleading poverty while accepting thousands of dollars to speak at churches.

JOE BIDEN: Takes us to the office.

CHRIS DODD: A new spot from the only Democrat who can claim a victory over Bush.

MITT ROMNEY: New attack ad on John McCain.

JOHN MCCAIN: Responds to Romney's attack ad.

BILL RICHARDSON: A plan for Iraq.

DENNIS KUCINICH: A holiday update from the Kucinich campaign.

WARNING: Playing all the videos at once may cause bipartisan ear bleeding.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

And finally, a BONUS after the jump: Barack Obama's high school hoop dreams.

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Neil Patrick Harris Says Follow the Unicorn

Neil Patrick Harris and his glowing rainbow unicorn are back for the Harold and Kumar 2 trailer, just released. Make sure not to miss the age-restricted version.

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A Very Gay New Year's Eve Preview

Over at Gawker, Sam Champion and Ryan Seacrest discuss Ikea furniture, patterns, balls, power-lifting, tools, and screwing on Good Morning America.

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