Mitt Romney: Marriage Equality, Abortion Are 'Tender' Issues

Mitt Romney tried to keep attention on "outsourcer-in-chief" Obama during his campaign appearances in Colorado today, but an AP report says that members of the audience wanted the GOP candidate to spell out his positions on some social issues.

He wasn't interested:

…One questioner asked why Romney didn't believe in applying principles of personal liberty to areas of private life, like the rights of gays and women; Romney responded by emphasizing that these were "tender" issues, but that he was particularly committed to protecting the life of the unborn.

Whether he likes it or not, Romney's going to have to get more specific, which means he'll likely have to align himself with the increasingly isolated anti-gay forces on the right, something that may not play well with the majority of Americans who support marriage equality.

Cokie And Steve Roberts Celebrate Barney Frank's Wedding

I missed this last week, but famed journalist Cokie Roberts and husband Steve penned a widely syndicated op-ed celebrating Rep. Barney Frank's marriage to Jim Ready, the nation's "evolution" on the subject and the possibility that the Supreme Court will hear cases on marriage equality:

A sample of the heartfelt piece:

We have known and loved Barney for a long time. He and Steve are from the same town in New Jersey, and it was Barney who recruited Steve to apply to Harvard and got him involved in student politics. Barney was an usher in our wedding in 1966. So it’s a special moment to celebrate his marriage almost 46 years later.
…
A supremely practical politician, Barney once worried that gay marriage was reaching too far and expecting too much from the political system. But he changed and so did we. We came to understand that Barney, like many other gay friends, wanted the same things that straight couples were searching for: a hand to hold, a heart to share.

It's a great read and I suggest you check it out. And a special thanks to reader Joe for sending this along!

132 House Democrats File Friendly Brief In California DOMA Case

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and 131 other House Democrats are throwing themselves into Karen Golinski's discrimination lawsuit against the federal government.

The Washington Blade reports that the lawmakers have filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that the Defense of Marriage Act violates Golinkski's right to partner benefits.

Chris Johnson offers more details:

The 30-page brief makes the case against Section 3 of DOMA, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage, in several ways, emphasizing that BLAG doesn’t speak for the entirety of the U.S. House. House Democrats have pledged to file a brief in each case where BLAG acts to defend DOMA.

First, the lawmakers argue DOMA warrants heightened scrutiny because Congress has a history of targeting gay and lesbian Americans with discriminatory laws — a position that is held by the Obama administration.

House Democrats then argue that DOMA is unconstitutional because Congress hastily passed it in 1996 for political reasons and because the law undercuts Congress’ interest in protecting families and respecting state sovereignty.

This is the second such brief Pelosi and other Democrats have submitted: they also put their weight behind the Gill v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services cases that have been merged into one lawsuit.

In addition to potentially impacting these cases, Pelosi and company's legal maneuver help contrast them against Boehner and other House Republicans who cling so ferociously to a 90s-era law.

Towleroad Guide To The Tube #1162

'LIKE MONEY:' South Korean girl band Wonder Girls and Akon release video for new track.

PREP TIME: A satirical imagining of Mitt Romney prepping for a speech before the NAACP.

'GOATS:' Trailer for new David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga indie pic.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC: Paul Rudd and Reggie Watts collaborate.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Romney's Papers, Denise Rich, Scientology Ban, Alligator

Jon Hamm looks fine as always representing the St. Louis Cardinals at the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game.

Democratic donor Denise Rich, ex-wife of Marc Rich, the investor pardoned by Bill Clinton, gave up her U.S. citizenship to catch a tax break.

Tom Brady better watch out, because fellow New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski may be take over his football heart throb status.

Rafael Nadal is healing himself in Spain.

A teenager lost his arm after being attacked by an alligator in Florida. It could have been worse: "He's been around alligators all his life, He's smart enough, he knows if he offers him his arm, he won't take his torso. He was smart, he took the risk."

Here's a not work friendly picture of actor Harry Eden's penis from the gay short Nightswimming.

Absolute Deadlock: "According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney remain in a deadlocked contest, tied at 47 percent among registered voters and basically where they stood in late May. The new numbers reflect a stubborn constancy: Only twice in 13 surveys over more than a year has either candidate held a lead exceeding the poll’s margin of sampling error. Now, the campaign appears destined to remain extremely close in the final four months before Election Day."

Vice President Joe Biden to Mitt Romney, who continues to keep tax records to himself: "Show your papers."

Mark Ruffalo looks hot everywhere and in everything.

As part of his divorce settlement with Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise is reportedly forbidden from discussing Scientology with daughter Suri.

Listen to "Runaways," the latest track from The Killers.

Even Dear Abby knows that a man whose husband dies is still called a widower. Same-sex marriage doesn't suddenly invert gendered monikers.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is waiting on President Obama to confirm or deny his attendance at the upcoming International AIDS Conference. "We are here to express our concern and dismay that, less than two weeks from the start of the conference, President Obama has yet to commit to attending it," said the group's general counsel, Tom Myers.

LGBT activists and their allies in Dallas are planning a rally to support Beau Chandler and Mark "Major" Jimenez during their August 2 hearing about their marriage equality protest arrests.

Writer and director Brian Sloan needs some financial help making a big screen adaptation of his popular teen novel Tale of Two Summers, about the relationship between gay and straight teens.

Bjork wore a worm dress while singing in Denmark.

Sorry, Columbia, Missouri, but it is going to be 923 degrees next Monday.

And yet another computer that can watch and learn from humans.

Gay priest and equality activist Father Bernard Lynch confesses that he's been married to a man for 14-years and, no, it is not a celibate marriage. Even more reason for the Vatican to hate him.

Watch Nancy Pelosi Dance To ZZ Top At Barney Frank's Wedding: VIDEO

It's not until after you watch this video of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and activist Terry Bean dancing to ZZ Top's "Well Dressed Man" at Rep. Barney Frank and Jim Ready's wedding that you realize how much you wanted to see video of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and activist Terry Bean dancing to ZZ Top's "Well Dressed Man" at Rep. Barney Frank and Jim Ready's wedding.

Check it out AFTER THE JUMP.