Towleroad Talking Points: The Final Stretch

 

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Voters in NYC's East Village stick it to Romney.

BY SAM GREISMAN

A look back at today's big stories

ELECTION 2012

Entering the final weekend of the election it seems that most of us are sick and tired of hearing about it, but with each candidate laying out their final cases we are almost done with election hell. As we head toward Tuesday, ThinkProgress warns us that the Romney campaign will take whatever (possibly illegal) measures it can to win. Some of that certainly includes blatant vote pandering to minority groups. At least Romney has Mr. Burns in his corner. No word yet on Smithers.

Try as Romney might he just can't shake the cloud of Mormonism that follows him and he seems pretty pissed about what people think of the religion.

Nate Silver has Obama's chances of victory up to 80 percent now.

**

GAY NEWS

Aussie Swimmer Ian Thorpe has a new autobiography out and that means that he is in for another round of questioning about his sexuality. Joy Behar, a long time supporter of gay rights, is like many of us in that she just does not understand GOProud. Chris Kluwe continues to show that he might be the smartest player in the NFL. Check out his interview in OC Weekly.

On Tuesday we not only find out about the fate of the national election but also the fate of four gay marriage-related initiatives on ballots across the country. A beer brewed in Washington State toasts to marriage equality as Marylanders United for Marriage Equality release their final ad. Also a couple of statements of definite anti-gay sentiment. First from Washington D.C., where the Archdiocese has released an ad attacking gay marriage. And Jamaica continues to be a very difficult place to be gay.

**

VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Check out this video of a woman raised by two dads singing President Obama's praises.

Marco Rubio Recorded Robo-Calls For Anti-Gay NOM

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a man who has consistently sided with hate, is lending his voice to the National Organization for Marriage's war on equality in the four states voting on the matter next week, Minnesota, Maine, Washington and Maryland.

As Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade reports, though, neither Rubio nor NOM seem keen on making audio available for those of us outside of those states:

The National Organization for Marriage, one of the major groups opposing marriage equality, included Rubio in a press release as among those making calls against same-sex marriage along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Focus on the Family co-founder James Dobson.

According to NOM, calls will be made in both English and Spanish and will target voters “across the political spectrum who favor retaining the definition of marriage” as one man, one woman. NOM said a recording of the calls wasn’t available upon request from the Washington Blade, and Rubio’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment on the senator’s participation.

Fred Sainz from HRC predicted that the ads "will be full of the last minute lies that NOM trots out during every campaign".

"It’s their stock in trade," he said. "But we’re confident that fair-minded Americans will reject the messages." We'll know soon enough!

Towleroad Guide To The Tube #1243

SAVAGE: FRC tries to paint Dan Savage as a bully.

FLATTERY: An elephant has learned to imitate his keepers and "speak" Korean.

WHAT IS LOVE?: Openly gay Mormon Josh Weed discusses his and his wife's sex life.

'SIDE EFFECTS': Trailer for new Soderbergh film starring Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Starlight, 1600, Maine Marriage, Kurt Cobain

MetroWeekly has a great profile of Tammy Baldwin, the Wisconsin U.S. Rep. who will the first openly gay American elected to the Senate if she wins next week.

The White House complex is worth about $284.9 million, far less than has been spent on this presidential election. 

A federal court in Illinois ordered a man to pay $1.5 million - $150,000 per movie - for the 10 gay porn movies he downloaded illegally.

The Obama administration is sending former President Bill Clinton to Pennsylvania.

Chelsea Handler and Kristin Chenoweth team up to fight for the underdogs, and make us laugh in the process.

Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe will soon be seen in a tub together for the British mini-series A Young Doctor's Notebook. It will not be a romantic scene.

Always inflammatory and outlandish, NOM Rabbi Yehuda Levin says a vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for more storms like Sandy because Romney is gay friendly, or something. "The dirty secret they don't tell us is that Romney supports homosexual adoption and Boy Scout leaders, homosexualization of the military," he said, perhaps speaking about a different Mitt Romney.

World record breaking skydiver Felix Baumgartner looks pretty nice in a bomber jacket.

The Bangor Daily News says Mainers need to vote for marriage equality next week: "Permitting gay couples to marry will uphold equal treatment required by the U.S. Constitution, promote family values and protect religious beliefs. The ballot initiative is a matter of fairness and, in the end, care for one another."

Team USA does Gangnam Style.

UK gay rights group Stonewall named Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien its "Bigot of the Year"

French conservatives and the French Catholic Church are sharpening their attacks on marriage equality.

NOM is trying to derail campaigns with robo-calls.

You can finally own the guitar Kurt Cobain smashed in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video.

Says Senate Majority leader Harry Reid: "Mitt Romney's fantasy that Senate Democrats will work with him to pass his 'severely conservative' agenda is laughable."

Wow: "Using NASA’s Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, scientists were able to detect the light of the earliest stars, which are now long since gone."

Mainers United for Marriage have released their final ad.

Straight couples are increasingly incorporating a pro-equality message in their marriage ceremony: "The Vitts embody a movement within that movement. They are among the increasing number of heterosexual couples who are using their weddings to advocate for gay marriage. While much of the heat and light in this election season has centered on four states with ballot measures on same-sex marriage — Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington — social change is being advanced by newlyweds using the moral and religious force of the wedding ceremony."

NYC Marathon Canceled

The NYC Marathon will not take place this Sunday.

Mayor Bloomberg's office reports: "We have decided to cancel the NYC marathon. The New York Road Runners will have additional information in days ahead for participants."

Said Bloomberg in a statement: "We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it. We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this — to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."

Lady Gaga Urges Vote for Marriage Equality in Maine, Maryland, Washington and Minnesota: VIDEO

In a new video for The Four, Lady Gaga urges voters to approve marriage equality in Maryland, Maine, and Washington and vote against the anti-gay amendment in Minnesota.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...