Towleroad Talking Points: Hate vs. Love on the Subway

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Dolphins galore! 

BY SAM GREISMAN

A look back at today's top stories

GAY ISSUES

A victory for love on the New York subway recently where a gay man verbally took down a hate-filled preacher and received a round of applause from his fellow New Yorkers to boot. 

Rest in peace to a gay EMT, and maker of an "It Gets Better" video, from Indianapolis who was killed in a tragic accident over the weekend. Our thoughts go out to his family. 

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ENTERTAINMENT

Ellen DeGeneres has received her first entries in an exhaustive search for her first male model. So far so good. The Harlem Shake is just inescapable. Stephen Amell of Arrow is the latest celebrity to pop up in a self-made shake video. 

OZ, the prequel to The Wizard Oz, doesn't come out until March but Mariah Carey's song for the film is already available. After teasing everyone last week, Adam Lambert performed the full version of his cover of Rihanna's "Stay" in South Korea today. Also Boy George is physically a shell of his former self, he just revealed his dramatic weight loss. 

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WINGNUTTERY

Even after the Pope officially retires from the Vatican, he will not leave the protection of the World's smallest country so that he can avoid being prosecuted for crimes committed by the Catholic Church. And in a meeting of the minds that will hopefully not bring about the destruction of the earth, Sarah Palin will address CPAC.

Azealia Banks: GLAAD is 'F**king Bulls**t'

UPDATE BELOW

Singer Azealia Banks has had enough of GLAAD, the media, and anybody who disagrees with her using the word 'faggot', she tells Australia's The Music. Last week, Banks reignited a Twitter feud with Perez Hilton, taunting him with the word "faggot" repeatedly, and canvassing her 300,000 followers as to their definition of the word.

Last month, singer Jake Shears and GLAAD responded to Banks, denouncing her use of the word.

Now she's speaking out about it:

“There are such bigger problems… and then you've got organisations like GLAAD [Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation], which are f**king complete bulls**t.

“I mean let's look at it, it's gay and lesbian alliance against defamation, or whatever…. that's what it stands for, right? I mean would you agree that homosexuals, and the homosexual community, have bigger problems than the word faggot, you know what I mean?"

Furthermore, Banks pledges not to be torn down:

“Some people are Satanists, some people are Christians, some people are Jews, Buddhists, you know what I mean? Some people are still Nazis… there are some people who are still KKK members… Come on people, please. If you're trying to call me a homophobe, you're basically trying to imply that I’m insulting you for having sex with men. I have sex with men too – what the f**k?

“I have sex with men and women, do I have to take a picture of my licking a f**king pussy? What the f**k! It doesn't make any sense. It's so stupid. It's so stupid and it's so evil. And it's just like this stupid f**king media sh*t, you know what I mean? It's the media sh*t. And this is why I go about myself the way the way I go about myself, and I do whatever the f**k I want. If the media is going to build me up to tear me down, you motherf**kers are not going to tear me down.

“I just make these f**king raps, and I'm just gonna wear these outfits, and f**king live my life. I can't deal with you motherf**kers, I don't have time for this sh*t.”

More at The Music...

Said GLAAD's Matt Kane last month:

"[That] is an ugly, archaic word that was used to stigmatize a population of people who suffer high rates of violence both here in the U.S. and abroad. As far as we’ve come in this society, seeing it used by an artist many young people may look up to is painful, but even more so for those young fans, many of whom GLAAD has heard from."

UPDATE:

GLAAD President Herndon Graddick reached out to Towleroad with a reaction to Banks' statements, and defense of the word "faggot".

Said Graddick:

"I've never said that Azealia Banks is anti-gay, but I think she talks like someone disconnected from the violence experienced by men who don't fit society's notions of masculinity -- violence that escalates when celebrities like Azealia Banks demean such people. It's the queer youth and those who might not fit the mold of masculinity who suffer most from this kind of crap she is peddling."

Additionally, GLAAD clarified that its blog posts in January about Banks were responses specifically to this tweet: https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/287411995593039873.

Passengers Applaud as Gay Man Faces Down Homophobic Street Preacher in NYC Subway: VIDEO

A gay subway rider has his 'I've had enough and I'm not gonna take it anymore moment, inspiring applause from other riders as he shouts down a preacher calling gay sex an abomination.

"I'm a man. And I'm a good man. And I'm a gay man and Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me!"

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via intelligencer)

Here's Mariah Carey's Track from the New 'Oz' Film: VIDEO

The new Mariah Carey track from Oz the Great and Powerful dropped out of the sky today.

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1309

UTAH PLANE CRASH: Captured on passenger's cell phone.

DISRESPECT A CACTUS: Get what you deserve.

WHAT IS THE UNIVERSE? Minute Physics explains.

PIZZA ON FILM: A supercut.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Mississippi, Uncle Poodle, Meteor, Chris Hadfield, Snail

Country star Mindy McCready dead from suicide at 37.

Mississippi ratifies the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery.

TIME magazine colorizes portraits of 12 American Presidents.

NY Post: Alec Baldwin targeted reporter with racist slurs. Baldwin denies..."outrageous".

Right-wing French lawmaker accused of assaulting gay activists: "Councillor Richard Jacob, an elected member of Marine Le-Pen’s far-right party, allegedly shouted homophobic abuse at three gay-rights activists before pushing them down the steps of the Town Hall, police sources told TF1 television. One of the victims was taken to hospital with a face wound, another injured his ankle whilst a third said he was kicked in the face during the fracas, which kicked off in the middle of a demonstration in favour of gay marriage on Saturday."

Astronaut Chris Hadfield does a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) from the International Space Station.

Police find trove of violent video games in Newtown shooter Adam Lanza's home: "During a search of the Newtown home he shared with his mother, Nancy Lanza, who also died Dec. 10 at the hands of her son, authorities discovered what appeared to be dozens, if not hundreds, of graphically violent games, the Hartford Courant reported."

Adele headed to Vegas?

Snail takes shelter under umbrella.

Russian meteor sets off frenzy over space chunks: "One amateur space enthusiast estimated chunks could be worth anything up to $2,200 per gram - more than 40 times the current cost of gold..."The price is hard to say yet ... The fewer meteorites that are recovered, the higher their price," said Dmitry Kachkalin, a member of the Russian Society of Amateur Meteorite Lovers."

David Mixner: Why Presidents Day is just wrong.

Matthew Rettenmund interviews The Biggest Loser's first out contestant in 14 seasons, Jackson Carter. "I don't think my orientation has anything to do with my ability to finish a workout, so why hide it? I think if more people thought this way about sexual orientation, we'd all see a little more eye-to-eye on a lot of things."

Nude photos of Honey Boo Boo's Uncle Poodle for sale to highest bidder: "TMZ was offered the pics which show a naked man who appears to be Uncle Poodle ... in the shower. According to the seller -- a man who lives in Georgia -- Poodle sent them earlier this week on the gay social app Grindr."

Tumblr: Visualizing gay marriage.

Male model fix: Charles Melton.

Lake County, Florida School Board to discuss rules for student clubs that would block a proposed 'gay-straight' student group from forming. "There is no doubt that the real reason the board is considering such a dramatic action is to prevent gay, lesbian and transgender students from having a voice — from recognizing their existence and dignity as students and members of the Lake schools community," Sievert wrote in an email.

New Zealand bar ejects gay couple for kissing.

Peoria, Illinois Catholic high school revokes extra credit offer for attending "Defend Marriage" lobby day in Springfield: “As a school within the Catholic Diocese of Peoria part of our mission is to proclaim the Church’s teachings. These teachings are often at odds with our current culture but our obligation is to teach the faith. We do not coerce students to attend these events and they choose to do so freely. It has been communicated that extra credit will not be offered in association with attending this event.”