Towleroad Talking Points: Biden vs. Ryan

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Barack Obama watches proudly from Air Force One as Biden debates Ryan. 

BY SAM GREISMAN

A look back at today's big stories

ELECTION 2012

The Vice Presidential candidates held their first and only debate last night and Democrats have to be happy with the way Joe Biden was aggressive with Paul Ryan. Both sides found things to like and dislike about last night. Whatever the RNC says, I enjoyed Biden's wry smile.

No matter what Biden said last night (and Obama says in his next two debates) there are two people who the DNC may never get on their side. This insane woman who told Chris Matthews that Obama is a communist. And apparently Lindsay Lohan. LiLo is really worried about unemployment and rightfully so. 

**

BAD SEEDS

Horrifying news out of North Carolina where a gay couple was brutally attacked on the streets of Asheville. In case you were wondering North Carolina's hate crimes law does NOT cover sexual orientation. 

Ed Koch wants Larry Kramer to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work against AIDS. Koch has also conveniently forgotten the role he played in allowing the AIDS crisis to grow. Speaking of people who are despicable, a group of Log Cabin Republicans is using images of the murdered Syrian Ambassador to attack Barack Obama.

The Chick-fil-A anti-gay story just wont die. The hate-filled, pro-chicken group is selling party trays that "only a fruitcake wouldn't love".

**

THE OUTS

Yesterday was National Coming Out Day and Aaron Rogers (a Wisconsin radio DJ - not the Packers Quarterback) took the opportunity to do just that. He came out to his audience. Someone who has been out for a while is singer Adam Lambert. Check out this promo for his appearance as a vampire on an upcoming episode of Pretty Little Liars. 

**

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Sean Penn and Kid Rock make for very strange bedfellows in their new PSA intended to encourage "political discourse". 

The OXD Mirror: New Music for 10.12.12

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / JOSH APPELBAUM

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

 

Emil & Friends: 'Internal Affairs'

Writer and Producer Emil & Friends a.k.a Emil Hewitt is a generally mysterious guy with a variety of talents.  Playing music from a young age onward, he toys around in an eclectic range from deep bass to fresh guitar riffs. This NYC artist has gotten some buzz from remixing the likes of The Knocks and Little Boots, but his new EP out on Kitsuné, Royal Oats, includes not only his own production but his own distinct vocals.  'Internal Affairs' features a space-funk backing along with Emil's smooth vocals, reminding me of some of the slower later releases from Daft Punk.

 

Hercules and Love Affair: 'Release Me (Andy Butler Remix)'

'

Hercules and Love Affair is like the All-Star Team of the modern dance music scene.  This collective's alumni includes Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons,) Kim Ann Foxman, and Nomi Ruiz (Jessica 6), and group leader Andy Butler continues to bring in and develop new talent with every release.  Their newest song 'Release Me' features vocals by DJ Whitney Fierce and is mixed by Butler himself.  The song, like many other of Hercules and Love Affair's other releases, harkens back to the legendary 90's club era.

 

Strange Talk: 'Castaway (Plastic Plates Remix)'

Plastic Plates is one producer whose work never fails to catch my attention.  Sometimes I feel a bit one note for posting his work all the time, but this Sydney-based producer (born Felix Bloxsom) has a sound that continues to evolve and grow with every studio session.  Fellow Australians Strange Talk are the lucky ones to have their great new single 'Castaway' get the Plastic Plates remix treatment.  These guys have made a splash since forming in 2010, with a sound reminiscent of modern greats Passion Pit and Cut Copy.  Vocalist Stephen Docker has the chops to lead this band to great success, and we're looking forward to their first album release sometime in the near future.  For those of you in New York, Plastic Plates will be at Tamanny Hall along with fellow Aussies, Van She. Details, and a chance to win free tickets, can be found on our site.

MORE NEW TRACKS, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Killtronik: 'Paris La Nuit (Venice Beach Remix)'

22-year-old Kévin Blanc (Kiltronik) has been playing music since he was 8 years old, when he first learned to play piano, then guitar and ultimately writing his own music at 17.  The Cannes-based artist released his 5-track EP Paris La Nuit this year, which features an eclectic mix of pop songs that have a musical maturity far greater than Blanc's 22 years of existence.  His voice sounds a lot like Thomas Mars of Phoenix, particularly on the track 'You Me and It.'  Fellow Frenchmen Venice Beach give this title track their magic disco touch, adding a beat and some disco drama to this lush production.

 

Moullinex: 'Take My Pain Away (Gigamesh Remix)'

We are hotly anticipating the debut album release of Portugese act Moullinex this month.  In addition to various singles and EPs he has put out, Moullinex (a.k.a. Luis Clara Gomes) has remixed everyone from Cut Copy to Two Door Cinema Club.  Moullinex showed his versaility with last year's 'Sunflare', a lush and soulful track much different from his typical club-ready style.  Minnesotan remix genius Gigamesh lends his skills to this first single from Moullinex's upcoming Flora.  The new track has slick synths, a robust disco beat and all-around seamless production.

 

OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD) curates and recommends music events to the gay community in NYC—in an effort to move the focus of the nightlife scene beyond the promoter and venue and to the music itself. OXD's goal is to educate, entertain, engage and empower the gay audience to reclaim their ability to question and experience the unknown. The OXD Mirror will serve to showcase tunes that are definitely off-the-beaten-path but rightfully deserve the attention of the gay ear. It's music that will make you dance, dream, and most importantly, love.

This week's post was written and curated by Josh Appelbaum.

For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.

Florida Eagle Scout to Give Badge to Boy Scout Denied One for Being Gay: VIDEO

Dr. Andy Zerbinopoulos of Jacksonville, Florida thinks it's not fair that Ryan Andresen, the Boy Scout who earned an Eagle Scout badge but was denied it by the BSA because he's gay, can't have one.

So Zerbinopoulos says he's sending Andresen the one he earned 16 years ago.

"I'm not ashamed of who I am, he shouldn't be ashamed of who he is. And even though it isn't the same as receiving the award that he earned, I want him to know that there are people out there who support him."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Chick-fil-A Selling Party Trays 'Only a Fruitcake Wouldn't Love'

Sent in by one of our Twitter followers.

PS - You can follow us and make sure not to miss a Towleroad headline by following
@TLRD on Twitter.

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1229

DEB BUTLER: Out NC Senate candidate wields transvaginal probe in campaign ad.

A FLAT LIKE NO OTHER: The future of homes?

ENDEAVOUR: The Space Shuttle's aerial view in its pass over Southern California last month.

BRYAN FISCHER: "[We] cannot give an inch, we cannot give one centimeter, we cannot give one millimeter to the forces of homosexual activism."

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Stephen Amell, STDs, Narth, Frank Ocean, DOMA

Milk cinematographer Harris Savides dies at 55.

Donald Suggs dies at 51: "Donald was an infectious character, and his biography was matched only by his laugh.  Before joining Grassroots Leadership, Donald had been a senior editor at The Village Voice, and the former associate director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD.  He also organized a campaign against homophobia in the music industry that was the basis for the British Broadcasting Company film by Issac Julien, 'A Darker Shade of Black.'"

Stephen Amell makes his shirtless debut in Arrow.

Did Liz Taylor have a threesome with JFK and Robert Stack?

Where was the gay marriage question in the VP debate: "With gay marriage is being considered this season on state ballots across the United States -- and with the man who played a star role in kicking the civil-rights battle forward sitting on stage in Danville -- Raddatz should have queried them publicly on the movement broadening traditional marriage."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, and the American Psychoanalytic Association file complaint challenging "ex-gay" therapist's license.

NARTH admits half of clients are vulnerable LGBT youth: “We are getting more an more teenagers coming to our clinic,” said NARTH’s Dr. Joseph Nicolosi. “Years ago when I did this work, the average age of our clients was late 20′s and early 30′s…Today, I would say that 50-percent of the clients at our clinic, and we have 135 ongoing cases a week. We have seven therapists that only deal with homosexuality. Fifty percent are teenagers.”

Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, and Pharrell collaborate.

"iPad mini" coming on October 23rd?

A stunning look at the Milky Way.

David Walliams on Simon Cowell: “I work with Simon Cowell and a lot of people say he’s gay. It will follow him until the day he dies, but what’s the point of worrying about it?”

FDA approves first-ever home HIV test: "On October 10, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved OraQuick, the first over-the-counter HIV test that can be taken in the privacy of one’s home. Using a saliva sample, the test correctly identifies the virus 92 percent of the time."

Lindsay Lohan calls TMZ to clarify her messed up life.

Colton Haynes leaving Teen Wolf. “These past few yrs have been the best of my life. I’m sad that this chapter has ended, but excited for a new one to begin.” the 24-year-old actor tweeted. “Thx for the love”

Rep. Steny Hoyer comes out for Question 6 in Maryland: "In his first extended comments since he announced in May that he supports same-sex marriage, Hoyer said in an interview that his 1996 position on the Defense of Marriage Act measure was 'probably a mistake.'"

Delicious STD cupcakes, anyone?

Harvard Law Professor Michael Klarman writes on DOMA and the Supreme Court in the NYT: "The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, the 1996 law denying federal recognition to same-sex marriages lawfully performed by states, is probably the easier case for the justices. Historically, Congress has deferred to state definitions of marriage, and several federal courts have invalidated the law on these grounds of federalism. DOMA is also vulnerable because some of its legislative sponsors defended it in blatantly homophobic terms. Polls show that a substantial majority of Americans are opposed to it. Conservative justices who value federalism and liberal justices who sympathize with gay marriage will probably combine to invalidate the act."

Westchester Police Department sued over sex stings targeting men in public parks: "On October 14, the Department put out a press release announcing that the sting had netted 16 arrests. Included in the release was the names, mug shots, towns of residence, and original charges against the men arrested. 'If you come to Saxon Woods Park for this purpose, you will be arrested, and your name will be released to the media,' WDPS Commissioner George Longworth said at the time. Nowhere in Longworth's press release was the fact that the criminal charges against nearly all the men had already been dropped, with only non-criminal violations (the equivalent of traffic tickets) issued against them, and their records sealed by court order and state law."