New Poll Shows Voters Favor Marriage Equality in Rhode Island, David Cicilline: VIDEO

A new WPRI poll released on Monday shows a majority of Rhode Island voters favor marriage equality:

Same-sex marriage enjoys significant support in Rhode Island, with 56% of voters in favor of legalizing it, 36% opposed to doing so and 14% unsure. Support is strongest among Democrats (72% in favor) and voters ages 18 to 39 (64% in favor), while opposition is highest among Republicans (59% opposed) and voters 60 and older (43% opposed).

The poll is also good news for out gay Rep. David Cicilline, running for reelection in November:

Congressman David Cicilline has engineered a remarkable eight-month turnaround in his re-election race against Brendan Doherty, rebounding from a 15-point deficit to take a six-point lead, according to an exclusive WPRI 12 poll released Monday evening.

The new survey of 250 likely voters in Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District shows Democrat Cicilline at 44%, Republican Doherty at 38% and independent David Vogel at 6%, with 10% of voters undecided. That's a 21-point swing since the February WPRI 12 poll, when Doherty led Cicilline 49% to 34%.

"There's no question this race has gone the opposite way," WPRI 12 political analyst Joe Fleming said. "Doherty's lead has evaporated. ... It's obvious the messaging that David Cicilline has been using is working - he's making this a national campaign."

WPRI's on-air report, AFTER THE JUMP...

Poll: Cicilline rebounds, now leads Doherty by 6 points

 

Jon Stewart Mocks Obama and Romney Attempts to Lower Expectations About Their Debate: VIDEO

Mitt Romney has been equipped with "zingers" that he has been practicing on aides for the last two months, but Jon Stewart knows what voters are really looking for in the upcoming debates:

"America is looking for assurances the next president isn't going to be a weirdo who thinks he is better than us."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Part 2:

 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

'Glee' Previews Big Break-Up: VIDEO

And the song that introduced Darren Criss to TV land comes full circle.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Making Christmas Album

Writes Matt Rettenmund of the forthcoming reunion: "The album will have an original duet written by the 'You're the One That I Want' writer and guest spots by Barbra Streisand (really?), Kenny G, Cliff Richard, Tony Bennett, James Taylor and Chick Corea."

Law Banning 'Gay Propaganda' Advances in Ukraine

Ukrainian lawmakers have advanced a law that would ban "gay propaganda" similar to the one passed earlier this year in St. Petersburg, Russia, RIA Novosti reports:

The draft law, approved by 289 out of 350 lawmakers at a parliament session on Tuesday, envisions amendments to several existing laws which would impose prison terms of up to five years and hefty fines for spreading the “propaganda of homosexuality.”

The bill's authors claim "gay propaganda" could lead to a worsening of Ukraine's HIV/AIDS epidemic and destroy the traditional family institution, causing a demographic crisis in the country.

“By promoting the extreme forms of sexual frivolity, the Ukrainian media is creating the conditions for the spread of the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine,” an explanatory note accompanying the bill says.

“In order to prevent this dangerous process, it is necessary to introduce legislation banning the propaganda of homosexuality by the Ukrainian media,” the note says.

A second vote is expected on October 16, after which it could become law.

Image: a Ukrainian gay rights activist is beaten as the media looks on, in May 2012.

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Tells Members 'Ex-Gay' Therapy is 'Unethical'

And the "ex-gay" world continues to crumble.

The Guardian reports on a change "long demanded by rights groups":

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has written to its near-30,000 members to inform them of the new guidelines. The letter says the BACP "opposes any psychological treatment such as 'reparative' or 'conversion' therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder, or based on the premise that the client/patient should change his/her sexuality". The body adds that it recognises World Health Organisation policy that says such therapies can cause severe harm to an individual's mental and physical health.

The statement, drawn up by the board of governors, ends: "BACP believes that socially inclusive, non-judgmental attitudes to people who identify across the diverse range of human sexualities will have positive consequences for those individuals, as well as for the wider society in which they live. There is no scientific, rational or ethical reason to treat people who identify within a range of human sexualities any differently from those who identify solely as heterosexual.":