News: Kutcher's Jobs, Kentucky, Frank Ocean, Hillary Clinton

Chick-fil-A hasn't ended its anti-gay donations.

stunning interactive photo from the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Ashton Kutcher's new role as Apple founder Steve Jobs is being reviewed as "not a casting disaster", but this half-and-half photo reveals that his look is fairly convincing.

Celebrating Jinkx Monsoon, Seattle's premier Jewish narcoleptic drag queen.

Earlier this month I reported on the tiny Appalachian town of Vicco, Kentucky, which became the fourth in the state to pass an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance. The NYT profiles Vicco, assumptions, and common sense: "Admit it: The Commission’s anti-discrimination vote seems at odds with knee-jerk assumptions about a map dot in the Appalachian coal fields, tucked between Sassafras and Happy. For one thing, Vicco embraces its raucous country-boy reputation — home to countless brawls and a dozen or so unsolved murders, people here say. For another, it is in Perry County, where four of every five voters rejected President Obama in the November election."

Adam Lambert celebrates 31st birthday, encourages fans to donate $31 to the We Are Family Foundation: "In exchange for the donation, WAFF will send donors the instructions on how they could record a 10-second birthday greeting for Adam. Those who could not donate $31 can still give a lesser amount to the foundation on Lambert’s behalf, for which they will be able to wish him a “Happy Birthday” by signing the “world’s biggest” birthday card."

Being photographed shirtless seems to be Justin Bieber's new thing.

Frank Ocean shoots "Forrest Gump" video.

Bay Buchanan trades politics for real estate: "'I thought to myself in November, I have another career in me,' Buchanan said. So two days after the election, she started an online real estate course and now has her sales license and a firm: McEnearney Associates Inc. in McLean, Va."

Matthew Rettenmund reviews Broadway Bares.

Remember that fake viral video of the Eagle scooping up a toddler? Good things are coming of it: "The viral video of the eagle, which was created by students at Montreal’s Centre NAD, has received international media attention and had more than 41 million views on YouTube since it was posted on Dec. 18. And the school says it’s also generated a few bucks that will go toward a scholarship for a deserving student at the 3D animation and digital design school."

Bloomington, Indiana mayor Mark Kruzan conducting wedding ceremony on Thursday for more than a dozen LGBT couples.

Beyonce rehearses for the Super Bowl, releases sexy ref promo.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone compares allowing gays to marry to legalizing male breastfeeding.

Hillary Clinton Super PAC launched: "The group is chaired by Allida Black, founder of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project at George Washington University and Roosevelt Institute."

Royal Oak, Michigan City Commission passes human rights ordinance: "If passed into law, Royal Oak will join Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Detroit, East Lansing, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Saginaw, Traverse City and Ypsilanti in enacting a human rights ordinance."

Canadian Television Network profiles gay hockey player. "Heggart talks in detail about his near suicide attempt — he had chosen a knife to the wrists — as he was coming out of the closet. CTV also dives into his coming out in the locker room. The piece is accompanied by an essay from reporter Kevin Newman, whose son, Alex, came out of the closet."

Here's Obama's Immigration Speech and What It Says in White House Guidance About Gay Couples: VIDEO

President Obama gave a speech this afternoon in Las Vegas laying out his immigration reform plans, which include same-sex binational couples. Here's what it says in the White House fact sheet:

Keep Families Together. The proposal seeks to eliminate existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing unused visas and temporarily increasing annual visa numbers.  The proposal also raises existing annual country caps from 7 percent to 15 percent for the family-sponsored immigration system.   It also treats same-sex families as families by giving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the ability to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner. The proposal also revises current unlawful presence bars and provides broader discretion to waive bars in cases of hardship.

Watch Obama's full speech, AFTER THE JUMP...

Bullied Gay Teen Hangs Himself in Oregon Schoolyard: VIDEO

A tragic story out of La Grande, Oregon, where 15-year-old Jadin Bell has been taken off of life support after hanging himself in a schoolyard last week, KOMO News reports:

Dozens of people came together last week in La Grande in a vigil for Jadin, trying to understand what drove him to despair nine days ago. He came to the playground of Central Elementary School in La Grande. He climbed on a play structure and hanged himself. Someone passing by tried to rescue him. He was brought to Portland and Doernbecher Children's Hospital where he was put on life support.

Hill says Jadin was pushed to suicide after being bullied in person and on the Internet for being gay.

"He was different, and they tend to pick on the different ones," Hill said.

Hill says Jadin asked his parents to home school him. He feared turning in the bullies would make things worse. But he had found the courage, recently.

Watch KOMO's report, AFTER THE JUMP...

 If you are considering suicide or need someone to speak with, please call the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386.

Gay NJ Teen Who Came Out to Entire Class Meets His Idol George Takei on 'Anderson Live': VIDEO

Anderson Cooper sat down today with Jacob Rudolph, the NJ teen who came out to his entire high school class in a video that went viral last week. Jacob told Anderson that his idol is George Takei, and surprised him with the fact that Takei was there in the studio to meet him.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

I'll post the rest of Jacob's appearance if it becomes available.

Obama Disagrees with Senate Immigration Reform Proposal's Omission of Gay Couples

En route to Las Vegas aboard Air Force One, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the omission of same-sex binational couples from the Senate's immigration reform proposal, according to a transcript from the Office of the Press Secretary:

Q:  Gay rights advocated were disappointed that the Senate framework did not include extending immigration benefits for same-sex couples.  Is that a problem for the President and the administration?
 
CARNEY:  The President believes that it should be included and that should come as no surprise.  As we've said all along, this is consistent with the principles he has laid out over the last four years.  And the President has long believed that Americans with same-sex partners from other countries should not be faced with the painful choice between staying with the person they love or staying in the country they love.  And the President's position on this is consistent with how we've approached prosecutorial discretion at DHS and others.  So I think it should not be a surprise and it would be entirely inconsistent not to have that position.

Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks just before 3 pm EST.

Australian Town Overrun with Sea Foam: VIDEO

Remember that crazy video I posted yesterday of the storm-induced sea foam in Queensland, Australia 'giving birth' to a car? Well, here's much more footage of it in the town of Maroochydore. Unfortunately for these folks, toxicologists are warning folks about frolicking in it.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via the daily what)