News: Zach Wahls, Notre Dame, Sweat-Eating Bees, Ke$ha

Notre Dame postpones Gay-Straight Alliance decision until fall...

Zach Wahls: 'Ask Me Anything' on Reddit.

Levi Johnston reveals his daughter's weird name.

Judge: Prosecutors dismissed potential jurors based on sexual orientation. "Superior Court Judge Joan Weber dismissed the entire jury panel, saying she found it 'shocking' that the San Diego City Attorney’s Office would exclude two gay jurors during the selection process."

Sweat-eating bees invading NYC: "They use humans as a salt lick. They land on your arm and lap up the sweat."

Ken Mehlman among speakers at secret gay donor conference: Mike Rogers, a D.C.-based gay activist known for his outing of closeted gay politicians who pursue anti-gay policies, praised Mehlman for taking part in the conference and said it helps him reverse the damage he caused as a GOP operative. Rogers didn’t attend the OutGiving conference. 'I am happy to see Ken Mehlman working to undo the years of damage that he inflicted on the American people and the LGBT community,' Rogers said. 'Ken is taking the steps toward redemption and his participation in donor conferences is important in helping to secure new supporters of our movement in the corporate community. I commend him for his recent work.'"

Alex O'Loughlin running around Hawaii the way we like to see him - sans shirt.

Havoc and Bright Lights: Alanis Morrissette releases album details, single release date.

Ryan McGinley moves on to animals: "It’s hard to think of where my work or my aesthetic falls: the place between a Hallmark card, a William Wegman portrait of dogs or just pictures that people take of their animals every day. For me it was about getting it to feel really psychedelic. I never explored color in the studio before, and it’s gonna feel like a candy store."

A sweet lesson on patience.

Big Time Rush hotties get down to Speedos in Hawaii.

Liberace's lover Scott Thorson says he had an affair with Michael Jackson: "On being asked on Entertainment Tonight if his relationship with Jackson was just a friendship, Thorson paused admitting to it, 'Yes,' before laughing and adding, "Michael's not here to defend himself.' When asked if there was ever anything sexual between himself and Jackson, Thorson said that he wasn't comfortable giving out details of his relationship."

Facebook IPO set for May 18.

James Ware, judge who took over Prop 8 case from Judge Vaughn Walker, to retire: "U.S. District Judge James Ware, who has spent most of his career on the federal bench in San Jose, announced late Monday that he is retiring in August, opening up both a federal judgeship and the chief judge's post. Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, next in line by seniority, will take over as chief judge, making her just the second woman to hold the top job in Northern California's federal courts."

Ke$ha flags for V magazine.

U.S. District Judge rules that Kentucky agency fired employee for being gay: "Heyburn found that Stroder was fired in 2009 for sending personal emails that mentioned his partner and referred to other gays with slang terms such as 'queen' and 'princess.' Heyburn noted that the cabinet didn't take action against Shannon Duncan, who also sent personal emails around the same period, as well as a chain letter to other employees titled 'Pampered Chef,' which showed naked men with pots and pans 'strategically placed to conceal their genitals.'"

Virgin Atlantic serving ice cubes shaped like Richard Branson's head.

Judge rules against "ex-gay" watchdog Truth Wins Out in libel suit: "The president of a group for 'ex-gays' did not commit defamation by telling a local news audience that a gay rights activist had said 'somebody should inject him with AIDS,' referring to the ex-gays president, a federal judge ruled."

Obama Uses Newt Against Mitt in Brutal New Ad: VIDEO

Newt Gingrich is moments away from officially suspending his campaign as I post this, and word is he intends to endorse Romney at some point. Unfortunatley, he's also been trying to destroy him for months, and the Obama campaign has it all recorded in a brutal new spot.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Rhode Island House Judiciary Panel Hearing Three Bills on Gay Marriage Today

Three separate bills dealing with same-sex marriage will be considered by the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee today, WPRO reports:

The first of the three sponsored by Rep. Larry Valencia (D, Richmond, Charlestown, Exeter) will allow couples legally married elsewhere to divorce in Rhode Island regardless of whether the marriage would have been legal in the state.

The second bill sponsored by Rep. Frank Ferri (D, Warwick) would remove an amendment added to the civil union bill last year allowing individuals and organizations to refuse to provide service to a civil union if they oppose on religious grounds.

The third bill sponsored by Rep. Arthur Andy (D, Cranston) provides for same-sex marriage in Rhode Island and recognizes previously performed civil unions as marriages.

Missouri Republican State Rep. Zach Wyatt Comes Out as Gay in Speech to GOP Colleagues: VIDEO

Republican Missouri State Rep. Zach Wyatt came out of the closet today in a speech to Republican colleagues, asking them to withdraw their support like anti-gay issues like the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which has been advancing through the legislature.

Said Wyatt:

"I will not lie to myself anymore about my own sexuality. It has probably been the hardest thing to come to terms with. I have always ignored it, didn't event think about it, or want to talk about it. I have not been immune to it. I hear the comments, usually snide ones, about me. I'm not the first or last Republican to come out. I've just gotten tired of the bigotry being shown from both sides of the aisle on gay issues."

Watch Wyatt's speech, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Kirksville Daily Express reports:

Speaking in Hearing Room 5 at the State Capitol, Wyatt condemned what he called a “horrible bill” that would make illegal nearly all discussions on homosexuality in public schools, including conversations between students and school staff about their own sexuality. Wyatt, who last week issued a statement addressing his concerns on the bill and related his experiences being bullied as a child, called on his fellow Republicans to join him in the fight against bullying and in removing HB2051 from consideration.

“Today I ask you to stand with me as a proud Republican, a proud veteran, and a proud gay man who wants to protect all kids, addressing bullying in our schools,” Wyatt said.

Make sure not to miss a Towleroad headline by following @TLRD on Twitter.

NC State Senator Sponsored Amendment One 'to Protect the Caucasian Race', According to Wife

Chad Nance, a North Carolina freelance journalist, says poll workers outside an early voting site at the Forsyth County Government Center in downtown Winston-Salem heard Jodie Brunstetter, the wife of NC Sen. Peter Brunstetter, offer some jawdropping remarks about Amendment One, the YES! Weekly blog reports:

Nance said he recorded a conversation with the woman...on video, and that she confirmed that she used the term “Caucasian” in a discussion about the marriage amendment, but insisted that otherwise her comments had been taken out of context by other poll workers...

...Nance paraphrased the remarks, as told to him by those who were present: “During the conversation, Ms. Brunstetter said her husband was the architect of Amendment 1, and one of the reasons he wrote it was to protect the Caucasian race. She said Caucasians or whites created this country. We wrote the Constitution. This is about protecting the Constitution. There already is a law on the books against same-sex marriage, but this protects the Constitution from activist judges.”

Nance said he recruited a friend, who works for the Coalition to Protect All North Carolina Families, to witness his interview with Jodie Brunstetter. He said Brunstetter reluctantly acknowledged that she had used the term “Caucasian” and then repeated the statement previously attributed to her, but substituted the pronoun “we” for “Caucasian. Nance said Brunstetter insisted there was nothing racial about her remarks, but could not explain why she used the term “Caucasian.”

Peter Brunstetter has served in the state Senate since 2006.

Pastor Sean Harris 'Retracts' Advice to Parents to Beat Kids Who Seem Gay But Says It's Still an Abomination

Pastor Sean Harris posted an official "statement of retraction" on his blog this morning following statements of "apology" to the press.

It reads, in part:

The purpose of this document is to issue an official statement of retraction of any and all words that suggest that child abuse is appropriate for any and all types of behaviors including (but not limited to) effeminacy and sexual immorality of all types. I should not have said what I said about “cracking,” “punching,” and particular bias toward outward attraction of girls. Nor should I have used the words “special dispensation.” I did not say that children should be squashed. I have never suggested children or those in the LGBT lifestyle should be beaten, punched, abused (physically or psychologically) in any form or fashion. The gospel is the only source of power sufficient to deliver anyone from the power, penalty, and presence of all forms of sin including, but not limited to, all forms of sexual immorality including homosexuality...

...However, I do not apologize for the manner in which the Word of God articulates sexual immorality, including homosexuality and effeminacy, as a behavior that is an abomination to God. Nothing in this official statement of retraction should be perceived as an apology for the overarching intent and message of the sermon and the need to define marriage as one man and one woman and to maintain the gender distinctions that God created from the beginning when He made them male and female (Genesis 1). I recognize that there are those in the LGBT community who believe that their sexual behavior is not sin. I do not agree with them and this official retraction should not be misunderstood as an apology for the gospel of Jesus Christ or the Word of God.

Read the full statement and "apology", AFTER THE JUMP...

Mike Signorile tells me that Harris is going to be on his show at 2:30 pm ET today.

Official Statement of Retraction

The purpose of this document is to issue an official statement of retraction of any and all words that suggest that child abuse is appropriate for any and all types of behaviors including (but not limited to) effeminacy and sexual immorality of all types. I should not have said what I said about “cracking,” “punching,” and particular bias toward outward attraction of girls. Nor should I have used the words “special dispensation.” I did not say that children should be squashed. I have never suggested children or those in the LGBT lifestyle should be beaten, punched, abused (physically or psychologically) in any form or fashion. The gospel is the only source of power sufficient to deliver anyone from the power, penalty, and presence of all forms of sin including, but not limited to, all forms of sexual immorality including homosexuality.

I apologize to anyone I have unintentionally offended. I did not say anything to intentionally offend anyone in the LGBT community. My intent was to communicate the truth of the Word of God concerning marriage. My words were not scripted. It is unfortunate I was not more careful and deliberate. I can understand how these words could be misunderstood without the context of years of ministering to the people of God at Berean Baptist Church. I have received nothing but notes of appreciation and support from the people within the church. To those in the greater body of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the world--I seek your forgiveness if I have offended or hurt the cause of Christ. I have learned from this and will seek to be more articulate and deliberate with my words in the future.

However, I do not apologize for the manner in which the Word of God articulates sexual immorality, including homosexuality and effeminacy, as a behavior that is an abomination to God. Nothing in this official statement of retraction should be perceived as an apology for the overarching intent and message of the sermon and the need to define marriage as one man and one woman and to maintain the gender distinctions that God created from the beginning when He made them male and female (Genesis 1). I recognize that there are those in the LGBT community who believe that their sexual behavior is not sin. I do not agree with them and this official retraction should not be misunderstood as an apology for the gospel of Jesus Christ or the Word of God.

I do not apologize for the manner in which I emphasized the importance of one man and one woman getting married and staying married for the benefit of their children and society.

I am confident that if the state of North Carolina was not in a state constitutional battle to define marriage as one man and one woman, this sermon would not have received the media attention it has through the intentional framing of my words without the context of the entire sermon on various blogs.

I have already sought to clarify my words in a previous statement that can be found at http://pastorseansblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/important-clarification-to-sundays.html. The church has an official statement on discipline of child that can be found at http://www.bereanbaptistchurch.org/contemporary-issues.php under the heading “Discipline of Children.”