RuPaul and Big Freedia Spread Some 'Peanut Butter': VIDEO

RuPaul's new video for "Peanut Butter" hit the web this afternoon featuring a special rap from Big Freedia.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Jeanne Manford, Late Founder of PFLAG, to Receive 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal

Jeanne Manford, the founder of PFLAG who died last month at the age of 92, will be awarded the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor, in a ceremony on February 15.

Said President Obama in a press release: "It is my distinguished honor to award these individuals the 2012 Citizens Medal for their commitment to public service. Their selflessness and courage inspire us all to look for opportunities to better serve our communities and our country."

From the White House's brief:

Manford and her husband, Jules, co-founded in 1972 a support group for parents of gay children that grew into the national organization known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  Manford had always supported her son Morty, but was inspired to act after the police failed to intervene while Morty was beaten and hospitalized during a Gay Activists Alliance demonstration in April 1972. In the years that followed, Manford continued to march and organize, even after losing Morty to AIDS in 1992.  Today, PFLAG focuses on creating a network of support and advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.  Manford passed away in early January at the age of 92.

Additional recipients of this year's award can be found here.

Colorado Senate Approves Civil Union Bill in 21-14 Vote; Final Approval Expected Monday

Friday afternoon the Colorado Senate voted 21-14 to approve SB-11, the Colorado Civil Union Act, in the second of three votes. Republican Senator Ellen Roberts joined all the Democrats to give the bill bipartisan support.

Said Brad Clark, Executive Director of One Colorado: "Committed gay and lesbian couples in the state have been waiting for years — 10, 20, even 40 years — to have their relationships protected. It's well past time that these families have equal protection under the law. We applaud the bipartisan passage of civil unions in the Senate and look forward to the debate in the House."

SB-11 would provide committed gay and lesbian couples with critical legal protections such as property inheritance, family leave to care for and visit a partner in the hospiral, and the right to make medical and end-of-life decisions.

After a third reading and vote on Monday, SB-11 will move to the Colorado House, where it is expected to pass.

News: Frank Ocean, The Francos, ENDA, Bryan Singer

Gay sports writer Chuck Culpepper thanks Brendon Ayanbadejo.

Frank Ocean profiled in the NYT magazine.

VIDEO: Sweet Brown in her commercial debut.

Jeremy Bernard re-upped as White House Social Secretary: "Before giving his speech, he confirmed that the President and First Lady invited him to continue in the job for the second term, and he accepted."

Liverpool FC to stage match to fight homophobia: "The match will be a Gay Football Supporters' Network (GFSN) league match between Mersey Marauders and Wolverhampton Harts. This promises to be a great occasion showcasing the work the club is doing in the area of equality and diversity."

Bryan Singer donates $5 million to USC School of Cinematic Arts: "The SCA's Division of Critical Studies, which offers courses in media and business, will now bear the name of the Usual Suspects and X-Men director. Singer, who is an alumnus of the school, said that he was grateful to be able give back to the university."

Tina Fey teaming up with Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore for new comedy The Nest.

Al Roker kissing another man.

Former teammate implies that Arizona Cardinal Darnell Dockett is gay, and Dockett isn't happy about it.

Dave Franco strikes a sultry pose for Wonderland.

Will Obama include ENDA in the State of the on address? "LGBT rights supporters — recalling Obama’s historic LGBT-inclusion in his inaugural address — are asking Obama to address one LGBT issue that remains outstanding since the start of his administration in 2009: the lack of federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT workers. Legislation addressing the issue that has languished in Congress for decades is known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act."

Ethan Hawke rocks his blond hair and eyeliner.

Catholic Bishops don't want gays in the immigration reform bill: "Catholic bishops, with the support of evangelicals and other theological conservatives, have sent a letter to Obama protesting his proposal. In a sign of the sensitivity of the issue, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would not provide a copy of the statement, saying the signatories agreed not to make the letter public. Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops, would say only that recognition of gay couples in the president's reform proposals 'jeopardizes passage of the bill.'"

Victoria Beckham is ready for fashion week.

Betty White eats a hot dog the way they should be eaten.

James Franco is the mayor of Gay Town.

Matthew Rettenmund honors art-worthy 7" single sleeves from the 80's.

San Francisco 49er Donte Whitner says he'll do another 'It Gets Better' video: "I will do another one, but I don’t have any plans to do another one. But I will."

First LGBT river cruise planned for Mekong delta: "LGBT tour operator Brand g Vacations has chartered AmaWaterways' 124-passenger AmaLotus to offer a seven-night trip through Cambodia and Vietnam that will include stops at small villages and historic sites."

No, the Vatican wasn't softening its stance on gays after all.

Judge refuses to help Vietnamese LGBT group ousted from Tet parade: "Orange County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey T. Glass declined to grant an injunction requested by the Partnership of Viet Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations. The coalition's leaders expressed disappointment but said they will attend the parade – both as spectators and as participants."

George W. Bush's Self Portraits

 

Allegedly painted by George W. Bush. Revealed by a hacker.

NY Mag's Jerry Saltz finds something to like about the former president:

Both border on the visionary, the absurd, the perverse, the frat boy. Each echoes the same isolation in small space. Rumination without guilt. Thought without dark nights. The light in each is soft, subtle, embracing, even oscillating. As if the unreal has become a companion to the painter. The first depicts a man with gray hair standing in a shower looking at himself and us in a small shaving mirror. We see him only from behind, from the waist up. The shoulders are slightly rounded. The features are Bush's. In the mirror is that stare, that empty, happy gaze. His eyes look slightly to our left, as if he can't meet our own gaze and is in a world of his own. The glass shower door echoes the well-to-do nature of the portrait of the stone home. But also the layers of visibility, transparency, fragility.

The other picture is the strangest, and the strongest. From over his shoulder, we see Bush looking at himself in the bathtub. This means we've seen two images of him cleansing himself, in warm water. It's already enough to set you off on fantasies of aloofness, aloneness, exile, and hiding. Bush regards himself. Yet nothing untoward is showing or seen. He is chaste and untouched even when alone. We see his knobby knees and his toes peeking up above the running water. A Freudian will have to tell us why the water is running in both pictures. Private baptism; trying to get clean; infantile ecstasies; purification rituals?

Thoughts?

The OXD Mirror: New Music for 2.8.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / TADEU MAGALHÃES

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.

 

Yelle: 'L'Amour Parfait'

Yelle released my favorite album of 2011, Safari Disco Club, which is one of the most fun and sophisticated pop records made in a long time. Just as it took years and a major label investment for widely-celebrated pop artist Robyn to become a hit here in the States, I'm hoping that the same happens with Yelle. This week, the French singer shared her newest track, produced by GrandMarnier and one of OXD's favorites, Aeroplane. It goes in a bit of a darker direction than Safari, and despite my initial resistance, I'm falling in love with it with every listen. The slower beats and heavy bass make for a dirtier sound, which is offset very nicely by her sweet vocals. I'm looking forward to hearing what is coming up for her new album.

 

Little Boots: 'Superstitious Heart'

Another under-the-radar artist that plays to a very gay sensibility is Little Boots. The British electropop singer, born Victoria Christina Hesketh, is a multi-instrumentalist house music lover who is best known for her 2009 hit "New In Town" from her Illuminations EP. Following the quieter releases of 'Shake', 'Headphones' and 'Every Night I Say A Prayer", her new song, 'Superstitious Heart,' is a chill introspective tune that keeps on with the more underground mood of her recent work, indicating a clear shift from her ultra-pop debut album, Hands.

 

Jagwar Ma: 'The Throw'

Aussie duo Jagwar Ma is the latest addition to the Future Classic Records family. Their new single, 'The Throw,' is a lysergic, nearly 7-minute long track that starts off as an innocent indie rock song, only to transform itself into a dancing beast halfway through, incorporating elements from balearic disco into a sophisticated upbeat work.

CONTINUED, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mario Basanov feat. Jeremy Glenn: 'More For The Less'

We love it when our favorite artists collaborate; this time Lithuanian deep house producer Mario Basanov has teamed up with Canadian producer-singer Jeremy Glenn. This song has the not-often-found power to send a chill down your spine from the very first beat. 'More For The Less' is a disco-infused deep house track that's meant to get your feet moving immediately as you dive into the track. Mario also provides us with a dub version of the song, which takes on a darker and faster mood for this beautiful track.

 

Carmen Villain: 'Lifeissin (Prins Thomas Remix)'

Norwegian singer-songwriter Carmen Villain's latest single 'Lifeissin' is a melancholic song in its original form, with a mellow mix of acoustic and electronic elements that make it quite unique. Through the lenses of fellow Norwegian disco master Prins Thomas, who is also labelmates with Lindstrøm and Todd Terje, 'Lifeissin' embodies a dreamy dance vibe, transformed into a beautiful upbeat-ish track that could become a strong late night dancefloor filler.

 

Róisín Murphy: 'Simulation' (Video)

Though we have featured 'Simulation' here before, including the amazing remix by Mano Le Tough, the official video has finally come out and it is definitely a piece worth sharing. Róisín Murphy is back with a much more underground approach to her aesthetic than some of her very avant garde, over-the-top treatments for her incredible 2008 pop masterpiece Overpowered. Róisín yet again shows her vision that music is not just something to be heard but also experienced visually.

 

 

Paradisco on Sundays, 3-8pm

Occupy The Disco has teamed up with THE OUT NYC to create a Sunday afternoon tea dance focused on disco and house music catered specifically to gay music lovers. We have invited our dear friend, Fire Island's legendary DJ Lina Bradford, to provide the music for the party. We have worked with Lina to create a sound that remains true to the classic disco and soulful house music that made her famous but will also provide a brand new experience to be enjoyed. You can also expect to hear some familiar tunes from The OXD Mirror here on Towleroad. More info on our website.

 

 

This week's post was written and curated by Tadeu Magalhães.

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.