Episode 4 of 'The Outs' is Here: VIDEO

In Episode 4, Fun Party, Jack gets a call he'd rather not answer, and Oona deals with the aftermath of her big party."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

If you haven't been following this six-episode web series about gay life in NYC directed by Adam Goldman, here are Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3, which you may want to watch first.

The Outs: Fun Party from Adam Goldman on Vimeo.

 

Married But Not Equal: VIDEO

PBS LGBT newsmagazine In The Life looks at the impact of DOMA and the battle over DOMA in the courts:

There are 1,138 benefits, rights and protections that married heterosexual couples get from the Federal Government. But because of the Defense of Marriage Act, gays and lesbians are denied every single one of them—even if they are legally married in the state they live in.

In The Life sits down with five married, same-sex couples for a look at the real-life impact of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Watch the whole episode, AFTER THE JUMP...

Iowa Republicans Target Another Supreme Court Justice Who Legalized Same-Sex Marriage

The Iowa GOP and right-wing activists, who were successful in ousting three pro-equality Supreme Court justices when they were up for retention in 2010, have set their sights on the only justice up for retention in November, the Des Moines Register reports:

Chairman A.J. Spiker (right), in a statement emailed across Iowa this morning, called for Iowans to vote against Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins to “help end the bullying of activist judges once and for all.”

The Nov. 6 general election ballots will ask whether Wiggins should retain his seat on the bench. He is the fourth justice to come up for a retention vote since the court’s unanimous ruling in spring 2009. The first three justices, Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit, were ousted by Iowa voters in fall 2010.

Several factors have taken some of the shine off the issue, including the passage of time, according to Iowa political insiders.

Said Spiker in his statement:

“In 2010 Iowa voters chose to dismiss three activist judges who allowed their own politics to influence their obligation to uphold the Iowa Constitution. These three were among a handful of judges who chose to disregard years of legal precedent on the status of marriage and how it was to be defined.

“Instead of allowing the people of Iowa to decide this issue at the polls, these judges instead chose to impose their will upon the state and re-write history without weighing the merits of our laws and values. Regardless of political pressure or the state of cultural affairs at the moment, it is the people of Iowa through our elections that must be permitted to decide this important issue.

“Just as Iowans successfully showed in 2010, it is again time to put a check on this power and reign in an activist judge from his position of misused authority.

“This is the only chance voters have to make their voice heard and we must take the opportunity to remove Justice David Wiggins from his post and show him his arrogance and disregard for the law does indeed have consequences.

“On behalf of the Republican Party of Iowa, I urge all Iowans to go to the polls this November and vote ‘no’ on the retention of Justice Wiggins.

Read the full statement HERE.

 

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1178

ALLOUT: The international activist organization celebrates 1,000,000 members by hearing from a few of them.

ELEPHANT CRASHES POOL PARTY:When you're thirsty, you're thirsty.

BORIS JOHNSON: The London Mayor gets stuck on a zipline.

IPHONE THIEF: New Yorkers make a citizen's arrest.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Anderson Cooper, Beirut, Michael Phelps, Chick-fil-A

Supreme Court delays DOMA deadline: "The new deadline means that House Speaker John Boehner's lawyers could take the chance to take aim at the Obama administration, which stopped defending DOMA in early 2011, following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 30 and before the start of the Democratic National Convention the next week."

Anderson Cooper's daytime show gets makeover. "When Anderson Cooper’s eponymous talk show returns for its second season Sept. 10, it will do so with a new name – Anderson Live — and rotating daily guest hosts, an experiment that proved successful during May sweeps."

J Lo boy toy Casper Smart seen exiting gay peep show in Manhattan?

Destinee Hooker loves her name: "Hooker -- who's CRUSHING it London right now (indoor team is undefeated!) -- tells TMZ, 'When it comes to my name, I honestly find nothing wrong with it. I love my name.'"

Burglars steal two dogs from gay Atlanta couple.

Macaulay Culkin reported to have life-threatening addication to heroin and Oxycodone.

Gay cinema "haven for perverts" raided in Beirut: "As the city of Aleppo fell under siege to the Syrian army last weekend, 200 miles to the south the Lebanese mukhabarat/secret service raided a cinema with a reputation for showing gay pornography. On Saturday, July 28th, 36 men were arrested for being what local television called 'shazoz' (perverts) and carted off to Maghfar Hbeish, a jail reserved for those in drug- and prostitution-related arrests."

Unnecessary Olympic censorship?

Michael Phelps now the most decorated Olympian of all time.

U.S. Senate to get new teabagger Ted Cruz after primary win? "Millions of Texans, millions of Americans are rising up to reclaim our country, defend liberty and restore the Constitution."

Karl Lagerfeld says another dumb thing: “Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette and she is the right girl for that boy. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties. On the other hand, her sister struggles. I don't like the sister's face. She should only show her back."

Vietnam to hold first-ever LGBT Pride festival in Hanoi on Sunday: "Viet Pride will run from Aug 3-5 and will feature film screenings, research presentations, music live performances, and a cycle parade through the city center on Sunday morning beginning at My Dinh Stadium and ending at Ly Tu Trong Park."

River Phoenix's last film Dark Blood to debut in September in Utrecht. "Dutch director George Sluizer has finally finished Dark Blood, the movie actor River Phoenix was working on when he died at age 23 of a heart attack on Halloween night 1993 outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood."

Lana del Rey to re-release Born to Die with seven new songs.

Lady Gaga covers up in latex for new Fame ad.

The 'Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day' local news reports are pouring in from around the country. Here's what's happening - in Atlanta they're looping around the street, fans are "flocking" to Dallas chains, residents are "packing" the CFA in Waco, Texas, the Fort Worth seminary bought more than 200 sandwiches, Indianapolis locations are "seeing long lines", and protests are "clogging Albuquerque streets". That's all for now, more "hatechicken updates later.

State Dept: Sharp decline in terror attacks following Bin Laden's death.

Next magazine takes you into the homes of Fire Island.

Rhino horn trafficker busted in NYC: "A double-crossing Manhattan antiques dealer pleaded guilty today to illegally buying the stuffed heads of two rhinoceroses after signing up to help the feds crack down on black-market sales of rhino horns. David Hausman, 67, was busted last year after a sting operation in which he paid $8,500 for the head of an endangered black rhino. Following the November 2011 transaction, which took place at a truck stop in Princeton, Ill., agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agents spotted Hausman sawing off the horns in a motel parking lot. A later search of his apartment turned up a treasure trove of taxidermist stuffed rhino heads and horns, including the two he removed in the parking lot."

Christine Quinn Says She'll 'Raise [Her] Voice' But Won't 'Misuse [Her] Office' to Boot Chick-fil-A from NYU

Christine Quinn sent a strongly-worded letter over the weekend to NYU President John Sexton urging him to boot Chick-fil-A from his campus.

Said Quinn in the letter: "I do not want establishments in my city that hold such discriminatory views. I urge you to sever your relationship with the Chick-fil-A establishment that exists on your campus. This establishment should be replaced with an establishment where the ownership does not denigrate a portion of our population."

Yesterday, in a talk with reporters, Quinn clarified her remarks, saying she would not use her office to get rid of the chicken chain, the NY Post reports:

“I support businesses that are open and inclusive, that reflect the viewpoint of New York City, the most diverse city in the world. That said, businesses that follow our laws have a right to open here. I don’t want businesses that hold discriminatory views and feelings, but I don’t have any legal recourse or reason to block this company. I’m raising my voice, which can be loud at times, but I’m never going to misuse this office in any way at all.”

The statement brings her more in line with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who told reporters that it's "not government's job" to block businesses based on their political beliefs.