Will Smith Discusses Kiss from Male Reporter on Letterman: VIDEO

On Friday, I posted about a male Ukrainian reporter's attempt to kiss Will Smith on the carpet of Men in Black 3 in Moscow. Last night, on Letterman, Smith discussed the incident, and his reaction:

"It's just awkward, Dave!"

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Iowa/Nebraska NAACP President May Leave Group Over Its Support of Marriage Equality

Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr. of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines, the President of the Iowa/Nebraska NAACP and a vocal anti-gay activistand Bob Vander Plaats supporter, says he may leave the organization after its endorsement of marriage equality and is "praying over the matter", the Des Moines Register reports:

That position now places him at odds with the national NAACP board of directors, which voted on Saturday to support “marriage equality.” Ratliff said he is one of the 64 members of that board, but was not present for the meeting in Florida and would have voted against the resolution had he been there.

“Marriage equality, for me, is between a man and a woman, period. There is no other definition for me,” Ratliff said Tuesday.

In related news, Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post says the endorsement has made the organization more relevant:

The biggest immediate impact of the NAACP's move is to return a once-indispensable organization to center stage. The NAACP was the flagship of the civil rights movement, but in recent years — recent decades, to be honest — it seemed to lose its way.

Now, under Jealous, the NAACP has waded into the civil rights battle of today — and, in the process, reclaimed some of the organization's old prominence.

Supervisor Exits Board Room Rather Than Address Orange County's Snub of Harvey Milk Day

Supervisors in Orange County, California won't recognize slain gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk, on his state-sanctioned day, the L.A. Times reports:

Activists, for the second year, asked Orange County supervisors Tuesday to recognize Milk's birthday with a proclamation, but the board declined the opportunity, as it did last year. One of the supervisors, Janet Nguyen (pictured), walked from the board room shortly after the activists began their presentation. Last year, Nguyen also left the meeting as the activists spoke.

Dave Hoen, a 28-year Santa Ana resident, and other activists waited more than six hours before they could step to the podium, and by then the room was almost empty. Hoen read a poem, saying he suspected that fear was the reason the five supervisors have yet to endorse a proclamation honoring Milk.

"You're happy to keep your job instead," he said.

A campaign pressuring the supervisors began two months ago, to no avail.

The L.A. Times notes the significance recognition from the OC would have:

One of Milk's final battles was to take on then-state Sen. John V. Briggs, a Fullerton resident who championed a state initiative that would have essentially given school boards the right to fire openly gay teachers...Stuart Milk, the former supervisor's nephew, said in an interview Tuesday that he remembered his uncle talking about Briggs as someone who used hate and exclusion to get ahead.He said it would be symbolically significant for Orange County to recognize the day.

"The important element is because you have a history of non-acceptance doesn't mean you need to continue on that path," he said. "Harvey Milk Day is the way to do that."

UPDATE: A note received by Towleroad from Christy Delp, Office of Supervisor Janet Nguyen.

On behalf of Supervisor Janet Nguyen, I'd like to inform you that the LA Times article titled “O.C. declines to honor Milk” did not report accurate information when it stated that Supervisor Nguyen “walked from the Board room shortly after the activists began their presentation.”  This statement is incorrect; the Supervisor was present throughout the entirety of the public comments section. She left after all of the public comments were made, right before CEO and Board of Supervisor’s comments.

In addition, just for your information, last year Supervisor Nguyen coincidentally left the Board meeting before public comments in order to nurse her infant son, as she had done in other Board meetings. It's important to note that when the Supervisors step off of the dais, they do still have the capability to listen to the Board meeting.

I have already been in contact with Nicole Santa Cruz, the author of the LA Times article, and she will make the correction.

Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Romney's 'Day One' Presidential Plans: VIDEO

Mitt Romney recently released a campaign ad called "Day One" which featured everything he'd do on his first day in office. Last night, Jimmy Kimmel took a very literal look at the ad.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

NYT: Jim Parsons is Gay

I could have sworn he was out already (maybe because of a September 2010 National Enquirer story about his engagement to his partner (see screenshot, AFTER THE JUMP...), but some folks are telling me that this casual NYT mention (on page 3 of a profile about his upcoming role in Harvey) is Jim Parsons' official coming out:

“The Normal Heart” resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said. As the production was ending last summer, he heard that the Roundabout Theater Company was considering a revival of “Harvey” — initially with John C. Reilly under consideration for Elwood — and last November the play’s director, Scott Ellis, asked him and Ms. Hecht to do a private reading of the work in Los Angeles.

If anybody can point to somewhere he's mentioned it (aside from mentioning his partner's name in a long list at an awards ceremony), please do so in the comments.

NE image, AFTER THE JUMP...

Richard Grenell Praises Obama Gay Marriage Endorsement, But Wants Romney to Win: VIDEO

Gay former Romney spokesman Richard Grenell is coming out of hiding and speaking out for the first time since he was resigned from Romney's team after a campaign by right-wing religious conservatives. Grenell appeared for an interview on FOX News today, simultaneously publishing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

Grenell told FOX that people on the left and right wanted to keep him in a "one-dimensional box" in which he could only talk about being gay and gay marriage. He also talks about being a gay conservative.

Watch the FOX News interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Writes Grenell in the WSJ:

Mitt Romney appointed me to serve as his foreign policy and national security spokesman based on my experience and qualifications to speak clearly and forcefully on his behalf. The governor and his team knew that I have consistently challenged the Obama administration's failure to lead the world and confront the most important international issues we face. They also knew I was gay.

Thousands of Republicans privately voiced support for my appointment and were disappointed by the events that led to my resignation earlier this month. Some did so while admitting they disagreed with my support for gay marriage. But they too are passionate about a strong America, personal responsibility and independent religious institutions—issues that should be at the forefront of this year's presidential election.

Like many voters, I rarely agree with a candidate's every position. I can support Mr. Romney for president but not agree with all of his stated policies. I can be proud of President Obama's personal support for gay marriage and still take exception to his dismal national-security and economic records. …

While there are many reasons not to vote to re-elect President Obama, gay marriage is not one of those issues. National and economic security absolutely are.

Watch the FOX News interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

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