Texas Tattoo Parlor Offers $20 'My Little Pony' Tattoos To Raise Money for Suicidal Bullied Teen

Imperial Tattoo in Sugar Land, Texas has become a surprising well-spring of anti-bullying activism after the attempted suicide of Michael Morone, an 11-year-old student and "brony" (a male fan of "My Little Pony") from North Carolina.

The tattoo parlor's owner, Tony Wayne, took action immediately, offering $20 "My Little Pony" tattoos in order to raise funds for Michael and an anti-bullying organization. It turns out that Michael and tattoo aficionados have more in common than one might initially think.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

"We've done 25-30 of them since last week and more are booked this week," said store owner Tony Wayne. "They're regular guys, tattooed mean lookin' guys."

Wayne says as soon as he saw Michael Morones' story, he knew he had to help.

"Tattoos are about freedom of expression. Michael should have been free to like My Little Pony if he wanted to,"  Wayne said. "I knew other kids would be being bullied and this was the only way I could think to help."

Patrons with personal stakes in Michael's story have also gone to Imperial to receive their equine ink.

Christy Van Kannon, 34,  from Katy got a blue My Little Pony with a red mohawk on the inside of her left arm.  She said she felt compelled to do it because one of her 12 year old daughter's school friends also committed suicide because of bullying.

"I have three kids," said Van Kannon, "For me this was an incredible opportunity to show people how important it is to stop bullying,  We have to stand up for others that cant stand up for themselves"

Michael's recovery is suspect at this point, and he is still in critical condition at a North Carolina hospital. He may have severe brain damage. A recovery fund has raised nearly $70,000, but some of the Imperial's donations will also go to Stomp Out Bullying, a bullying prevention organization aimed at kids and teenagers.

"I didn't even realize this was going on, but things should not be gender specific. I'm getting (a My Little Pony Tattoo) myself now. You don't have to be a girl to like My Little Pony," Wayne said.

MSU's Rufus Warren: Football 'is a MAN Sport And Being Gay Is Not a Man'

If anyone still has any question as to why it is more important than ever for gay athletes to be out, look no further than tweets from Mississippi State University's Rufus Warren, a sophomore football player.

In a reaction to Michael Sam coming out of the closet, Warren took to Twitter and made his opinions known in a rather dazzling display of ignorance.

The tweets have since been deleted and Warren's account made private, but of course nothing stays hidden on the Internet. Perhaps his most inflammatory statement was his last tweet, which said:

As of this writing, no disciplinary action of any kind appears to have been taken.

Wyoming House Rejects Marriage Equality Bill in 41-17 Vote

Wyoming's House of Representatives has voted 41-17 to reject a bill that would have given gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry, the Casper Star-Tribune reports:

House Bill 87, sponsored by Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, would have changed the law that says marriage is a contract between a male and female to marriage being a contract between two natural persons.

...Connolly, who is openly gay, said there are 12,877 gay people in Wyoming. On a personal note, she said she’s lived in Wyoming for two decades and has chosen to raise her son here.

“If I want to get married to the woman that I love, I want to do it here,” she said.

In Russian-Themed 'Flappy Bird' Spoof, Vladimir Putin Must Avoid the Furry Man Rumps

By now you've probably heard about the insanely-popular game Flappy Bird, which flew to the top of the app charts before its creator pulled it because, he said, it was too addictive.

"I think it has become a problem," said Dong Nguyen. The game involved navigating a bird through a series of pipes.

Now, someone has created an online, Russian-themed version of the game called Vladi Bird, in which users guide Vladimir Putin through his own unique obstacle course.

Check it out HERE.

(via reddit)

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1518

LITTLE LOST CORVETTES: A sinkhole in Bowling Green, Kentucky swallows several classic Corvettes.

AB SOTO: "Crunchy".

NERVOUS: What makes us get that way?

MARIUS: Second giraffe under threat in Danish zoo.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Drake, Clarksdale, Comcast, Julian Castro, Bieber

How Sports Illustrated botched the Michael Sam story.

Calgary gay bar sponsors silver medalist Olympian speedskater.

Karen Ocamb's big picture-heavy post on the Family Equality Council gala.

The truth behind that alleged pic of Justin Bieber kissing another man.

Drake is mad at "the press" because Rolling Stone bumped him from its cover and honored Philip Seymour Hoffman instead.

Turkish LGBT group outraged by trial over 2012 'honor' killing.

Instagram, Facebook remove accounts of anti-gay Russian vigilante groups. We’re still waiting to hear back from Facebook. “One profile [of a member of the hate group] has been taken down,” says Aravosis, “but the profile of [Maks Martsinkevich,] the ringleader of Occupy Pedophilia, which include numerous posts of his abduction videos in his timeline, is still live.”

Sochi gay nightclub Mayak says the mayor who claimed there are not gays in the city has given the club preferential treatment.

Madonna keeps pretty mum on new album details.

Matt Bomer and partner Simon Halls paid a visit to NYC for the premiere of The Winter's Tale.

Former University of Nebraska kicker Erick Lueshen says he was openly gay the entire time he was on the team and loved by his teammates.

ACLU advises Jets and Giants that they can't discriminate against gays: "The letter was sent in response to University of Missouri player Michael Sam’s revelation that he is gay. Sam, a top NFL prospect, may be the first openly gay player in the NFL. One news outlet, SI.com, quoted general managers anonymously saying they would not draft Sam because he is gay."

Dave Franco update.

Man indicted in killing of gay Clarksdale, Mississippi mayoral candidate Marco McMillian a year ago. "McMillian was found dead on Feb. 27, 2013. He had been beaten and his body had been burned and left on a river levee."

Boy Culture interviews two old-time penpals to the stars.

Chris Pine is the new face of Armani Code.

Soviet propaganda converted to gay propaganda.

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights condemns Nigeria's anti-gay law.

Catholics for Fairness in Kentucky to make annual Pilgrimage to the Cathedral of the Assumption, where they will call on Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, church leader and current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to acknowledge the inherent dignity of all human beings, including LGBT people.

Comcast buys Time Warner Cable in $45.2 billion deal.

Julian Castro and Evan Wolfson on the challenge to Texas' ban on gay marriage: "None of the fear-mongering arguments against the freedom to marry has come true in the 17 states — including Iowa, Maine and New Mexico, hardly bastions of liberal politics — that have ended their bans and allowed committed same-sex couples to marry. Like the majority of Americans nationwide, Texans are coming to the conclusion that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is wrong. After all, we believe in individual responsibility and the pursuit of happiness, and know that freedom means freedom for all."