We Are All Americans

Here are a couple more photos I've pulled from our galleries, which keep growing. Tonight I added photos from Montana, North Dakota, and Mississippi. We now have photos from 41 states. If you have a few photos you want to share, instructions are here on where and how to send them. Web-size is best. Thanks for the photos.

The top photo was taken in L.A. by Naomi Zipperman. The bottom photo was the protest in Montgomery, Alabama, sent in by Farrell Johnson. And if you missed Jack from Fort Myers earlier today, here he is.

Check out our Marriage Equality protest gallery HERE.

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Police Charge 24 in Huntsville, Alabama Gay Sex Sting

Law enforcement authorities in Huntsville, Alabama conducted a weeklong sting spurred by what they said were complaints of gay cruising at the Monte Sano scenic overlook outside the city that resulted in charges being filed against 24 men:

"Police officials said the investgation began in response to complaints from citizens about sexual activity involving men at one of Huntsville's most scenic sites. During the investigation, officers obtained warrants for 22 alleged offenders and arrested two people at the overlook. The offenders with charges pending against them were contacted to either come to the Huntsville Police Department to turn themselves in or to face officers coming to their home or business and being arrested, officials said. Those who are arrested will be charged with Sexual Misconduct and could face fines, jail time, probation, and be required to register as sex offenders after their conviction, investigators said. All offenders were also trespassed from all city parks for a period of one year and will face being arrested if they violate that trespass warning."

According to local news station WAAY, which published a mugshot gallery and a list of the alleged offenders (a tactic we've seen before), "Police officials said they will continue to want all locations in Huntsville that have been on an ongoing basis for criminal and immoral activities."

Said Huntsville Police Sgt. Mark Roberts: "What we're saying is we're getting serious with this problem. We had to look at another sense, because we knew law enforcement alone was not working and that it didn't matter to them if they got caught or not. We're hoping in the future this is a better place and hope the design change makes it a better place for the community."

(image flickr user WhitneyGH)

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Alabama A.G. Troy King Preparing to Resign Over Gay Sex Scandal?

A spokesman for the Alabama Governor's office has denied that Alabama Attorney General Troy King is preparing to resign as rumors swirl of an explosive scandal involving King, his wife, and a male aide:

"The word is, according to multiple sources in Montgomery and elsewhere, that King was recently caught by his wife in a gay affair with a male aide and banished from his home. According to Tara Hutchison in the executive office of the governor they have heard of no plans in the works for King’s resignation. She said she had not heard that he had been kicked out of his home because of a gay affair. Governor Bob Riley’s press office had refused to return multiple phone calls from this independent press outlet even though some sources accuse Riley of perpetrating the leak. The attorney general’s press office also declined to return phone calls seeking comment."

King is apparently a big homophobe who called homosexuality "the downfall of society" in a 1992 editorial in the U. of Alabama's Crimson White. No details as of his anti-gay efforts since then but it's not likely he changed. More on his positions at the end of this post.

Left in Alabama writes: "I'm almost sorry to see him go -- Troy was like a caricature of the Republican party. Never met a death sentence he didn't like, against sexual gratification, publicity hound, etc. ... life as an Alabama blogger will be harder without Troy King."

Rumors Swirl On Possible Alabama AG Troy King Gay Sex Scandal, Possible Resignation [fishbowl america]
Alabama Attorney General Troy King Prepares to Resign? [locust fork journal]
Attorney General Troy King Resigns? [left in alabama]
If I'd a knowed that I'd a sent Troy King a Blow-Up Boar Hawg [loretta nall]
(via wonkette)

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News: PTown, Derek Jarman, Sao Paulo, Diet Coke, Birmingham

Two men charged for sodomy using "crimes against nature" law in North Carolina.

Did Al Reynolds, Jr. get some new Manhunt shots?

Cleveland-bound pilot sees "an object with a flaming tail and a trail of smoke" fly past cockpit shortly after take-off from Houston: "The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation, but officials said they believe the object seen by the pilot just east of Houston's airport on Monday was a model rocket."

First California same-sex marriages to take place on June 14?

POLL: More than half of Californians support ballot measure ban on same-sex marriage. "Fifty-four percent of registered voters would back the measure, according to the survey by The Los Angeles Times and KTLA-TV. Thirty-five percent oppose the proposed measure, which is expected to be on the November ballot. The measure, sponsored by a coalition of groups that favor traditional marriage, would define marriage as 'between a man and a woman,' and effectively overturn a May 15 decision by the California Supreme Court that voided two state laws that forbade recognition of same-sex marriages. The poll, published on Friday, found 52 percent disagreed with that decision while 41 percent agreed."

Mario Lopez hits the beach...

Alan Ball developing British prison drama Bad Girls for HBO.

New Provincetown police chief Jeff Jaran promises fresh focus on preventing hate crimes.

Glitterbox: Derek Jarman DVD box set to be released. "Mr. Jarman once lamented that heterosexuals had so colonized and despoiled the screen — his actual phrasing was less polite — 'that there’s hardly room for us to kiss.' He made it his mission to create that room."

Excerpt from Hiding in Plain Sight, the story of Raymond Burr's secret gay life: "...Raymond had been living a closeted life in Hollywood for over a decade without even the whiff of anything 'untoward' about his lifestyle. Part of that had to do with his status as a supporting actor in the shadows, out of the spotlight's direct glare. Leading-man types—Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and Errol Flynn among them—were grist for the rumor mill, but Raymond had always flown under the radar. Until now. His much-publicized relationship with Natalie Wood helped his straight-arrow image, and he was well liked among the major gossip columnists, especially Hedda Hopper. And with her sonny boy making a name for himself on Perry Mason, Hedda had extra incentive to ensure Raymond's name was kept away from 'those' rumors..."

The Details on Christian Bale.

Massive: Sao Paulo Gay Pride parade draws between 3 and 5 million people, but has it become just a dangerous street carnival?

Pete Wentz sells advertising...on his face.

Leona Lewis and David Beckham to close Beijing Olympics with London hand-off.

Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Larry Langford says he won't interfere with plans for a gay pride parade there on June 7: "Langford on Friday he would not sign a proclamation, allow banners on city property or sign a parade permit. The mayor said he rejected those requests because it was inappropriate for government to endorse a lifestyle. Today Langford said he will not block the police from issuing the parade permit. That permit is not normally signed by the mayor. Previous mayors have quietly signed the proclamation and allowed the banners. 'I thought I had stated my position very clearly. If I were to sign the permit to put up banners on city right of ways I would be condoning that which I don't condone,' he said. 'To give a proclamation is totally under the purview of the mayor.'"

If you're a wounded bird and Jodie Foster's around, don't look weak.

Drink up: Diet Coke to drop DNA-damaging additive Sodium Benzoate.

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News: Orcas, Dax Shepard, Homecoming King, Alabama

NPR runs heartbreaking piece on two boys who identify as girls: "It’s really hard for him. He’ll disappear and close a door, and we’ll find him playing with dolls and Polly Pockets and … the stuff that he’s drawn to...He really struggles with the color pink. He really struggles with the color pink."

Dax Shepard appears to be acting out the role of Abercrombie door dude in the new film When in Rome.

Neil Patrick Harris's Barney shows off his new trophy date, Britney Spears. Watch it.

Jay Bakker to spend Mother's Day in honor of the late Tammy Faye pressuring megachurch pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church to sit down and talk to LGBT activist group Soulforce: "I want to celebrate my mother's life, and help spread the message she lived and preached. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as 'us' and 'them.' We hope the families of Lakewood Church will open their hearts and minds to us and sit down and have a conversation and share a meal. ... Let's put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ."

Details on the first dates of Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet" world tour.

Arizona Christian group Alliance Defense Fund has hand in New York same-sex marriage cases.

Shawnee Mission East High School loves its gay Homecoming King.

Investigators say photographers won't be charged for photos of teenage water polo players that turned up on gay porn websites: "The Orange County district attorney's office says a four-month investigation determined Scott Cornelius and Allen Rockwell didn't commit any crimes. Cornelius, a University of California, Irvine, police employee currently on paid leave, is still being investigated by the university to determine if he violated college policies. Photographs of youths as young as 14 taken by Cornelius and Rockwell appeared on homosexual pornographic Web sites. But district attorney's office spokeswoman Farrah Emami says 'legally there were no criminal charges we could file.'"

Killer whales photographed hunting dolphins for the first time ever.

Matt Foreman's new perspective.

Your money's worth: Mario Lopez embroiled in Broadway bicep controversy.

Two card stud.

Alabama legislature passes two pro-gay bills: "In an email from State Rep. Patricia Todd, she announced that the Alabama House of Representatives passed the Hate Crimes Bill sponsored by Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery by a vote of 46 to 44, mostly along party lines. While the fate of the bill is unsure as it moves to the Senate, this is huge progress, as the legislation was defeated last year. Also passed (unanimously) was an anti-bullying bill sponsored by Rep. Betty Carol Graham of Alexander City and Sen. Parker Griffith of Huntsville. This is also going to to the Senate."

Truce Off: McGreevey's fail to reach a settlement in their divorce trial.

Don't sit on the benches in New York subway stations unless you want bedbugs.

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Gay Couple's Kiss Sparks 911 Call in Alabama

If you missed 20/20's "What Would You Do?" segment on "Gay PDA", I've clipped it, AFTER THE JUMP....

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News: 90210, Ecuador, Nate Berkus, Gay Pension, Alabama Prom

A Boy Named Gay wins NYT weird name story contest.

Meet the first cast member of the Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off.

Rally for Sally: 50 Pastors organize "free speech" demonstration for bigoted Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern.

Brown University bookstore to be renovated to make it "a little less gay." Director: "You can practically slice the homoeroticism in there with a knife."

Indonesian Muslim leader clarifies beliefs about homosexuality to Jakarta Post. Ma'aruf Amin, chairman of the Fatwa Commission at the Indonesia Ulema Council: "Yes, it's a social construction, but it is derived from the Koran. The Koran clearly states that homosexuality is unacceptable, and we ulema have agreed about that. It's a curable disorder. There have been many cases where homosexuals have realised what they did was wrong and became heterosexuals again. It's something that can be fought off. God created both good and bad behaviours, but He told humans to choose the good ones. So, it's a matter of options."

Nate Berkus strips down on a Hawaiian beach.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa on gay rights: "Let's be clear that the profoundly humanistic position of this government is to respect the intrinsic dignity of everyone, of every human being, independently of their creed, race, sexual preference. ... We will give certain guarantees to stable gay couples but matrimony will continue being reserved for a man, a woman and the family. ... Every person has dignity, that's to say, one must respect a person independently of their sexual preference. Be careful not to deny employment to someone because of their sexual preference. That is discrimination, that is unconstitutional."

Madonna will hurt you.

European Union Court rules in favor of gay man claiming his late partner's pension benefits: "'The refusal to grant the survivor's pension to life partners constitutes direct discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation if surviving spouses and surviving life partners are in a comparable situation as regards that pension,' the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the EU's highest court, ruled today. The Court of Justice left it up to German judges to decide the status of the pension."

Alabama lesbians win right to attend school prom: "Two Alabama high school students didn't think they would be able to dance the night away at their high school prom last weekend all because they're gay, and the school wouldn't allow them to attend. But that all changed in light of a federal judge's decision. A temporary restraining order was given to the Scottsboro City Board of Education. Chelsie Collins and Lauren Farrington are both students at Scottsboro High School and Saturday night is their school's prom."

UK Stonewall equality survey finds homophobia rife in British society.

Janice Dickinson: Crazy/Exhausted.

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News: Ryan Idol, Cyberbully, Jason West, China, Christina Aguilera

Cyberbully drives 16-year-old Brit to suicide by posing as an online boyfriend: "The 17-year-old posted a fake profile on the social networking site Bebo, then told friends and teachers intimate details of their online conversations. The 16-year-old victim, from Brighton, East Sussex, swallowed 60 painkillers."

Hard Drive: Porn star Ryan Idol (Marc Anthony Donais, pictured here at an event for The Ritz) named in Birmingham Mayor Larry Landford's computer charity scandal: "Katopodis testified in his deposition that Donais, the adult-film actor, was paid to help the Council of Cooperating Governments and the Computer Help for Kids programs, both of which were handling money and expenses for Langford's computer initiative. Donais, a former Playgirl Magazine centerfold, has starred in seven gay adult films. Katopodis pointed out in his testimony that Donais also has appeared in plays in New York City. 'He's a businessman and had been working as, had done several off-Broadway productions and had been writing a play,' Katopodis testified. 'I don't know what else he was doing, you know.' Donais received $5,000 from the computer charity and $25,000 from the council, according to court filings. 'He's very good at working on computers,' Katopodis testified. 'He's very adept at computers. But at the time he was working at the Council, he didn't work on computers.'"

WATCH: Did Paula Abdul shop at Z Galerie to get the frames for her new video?

Christina Aguilera visits Ellen DeGeneres, who admires the fullness of her breasts.

China draws up plan to combat HIV/AIDS in its gay population: " The policy will incorporate detailed HIV/AIDS prevention measures for MSM (men who have sex with men) including extending the use of condoms, according to the ministry's work plan for disease prevention and control in 2008. China has decided to intensify its AIDS intervention campaign on MSM by carrying out AIDS prevention training among the gay population nationwide as well as conducting consultation, HIV/AIDS tests, venereal disease treatment in some areas, the ministry said."

Gay man stabbed to death at public men's room in Britain: "Appealing for witnesses, a spokeswoman for Surrey Police said the victim, who was gay, was stabbed in toilets at Walton Bridge, an area known as a popular meeting place for men. She said: 'Early indications lead police to believe that he might have known his attacker though we don't know in what context or for how long.''" UPDATE Man arrested.

Paris Hilton promotes her new film by posing with the only audience that actually went to see it.

UK vandals attack "Some People are Gay, Get Over It" billboard: "Sadly, the vandalism of a small number of the new Stonewall billboards is a reminder that homophobia still exists in our society and highlights the need to address the issue in schools and in our communities."

David Beckham gets lei'd, scratches, and squirts in Hawaii.

Targets of homophobic UK arsonist discuss attacks: "Nicholas Hughes, 42, and his partner of 16 years Peter Cameron, 59, suffered years of "horrendous" verbal homophobic abuse from Sonny Lockwood and members of his gang before he set their house in North Downs Crescent, New Addington, on fire."

William F. Buckley: "Mr. McCain is a bit of a girlie-man when it comes to waterboarding high-value detainees; but that’s a tricky one, even for macho, red-meat conservative chest-thumpers. You get a pass on that one if you’ve spent five-and-a-half years being bastinadoed by North Vietnamese."

Jason West, the former Mayor of New Paltz, NY, is now a house painter in Manhattan: "Mr. West, 30, first drew attention in 2003, when at 26 he became the first member of the Green Party to be elected mayor in New York State. But it was the next year when he created a furor for performing same-sex marriages that were later declared illegal — which may have led to his current occupation and his summer stint bartending at a Dutchess County watering hole called Darby O’Gills. Mr. West was defeated in a re-election bid in May 2007."

Gay history of Cambridge University to be revealed: "Evidence for the University's gay past can be found from as early as 1619, in a memorial in Gonville & Caius Chapel. It was commissioned by the college's master Dr John Gostlin in memory of himself and his friend Dr Thomas Legge, sometime Vice-Chancellor of the University. A flaming heart held aloft by two hands bears the inscription'Love joined them living. So may the earth join them in their burial. Oh Legge, Gostlin's heart you still have with you'. A similar monument can be found in Christ's College Chapel, where John Finch and Thomas Baines, who met as students at the College in the 1640s, are buried in the same tomb and commemorated with an elaborate carving of a marriage knot."

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News: Son of JFK, Kevin Rudd, Alabama, Writer's Strike

Australia issues official apology for mistreating Aborigines: "Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament that past policies of assimilation, under which aboriginal children were taken from their families to be brought up in white households, were a stain on the nation's soul. 'Today, the parliament has come together to right a great wrong,' Rudd said. 'We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.'"

Yep, that's a look of pure hate if I've ever seen one.

Brad Pitt to renege on promise that he would not be getting married until gay people can?

Back to TV: The writer's strike is officially over!

Brazilian gay rights leader Alexandre Peixe dos Santos bashed: "gagged, hooded and beaten by an unknown number of attackers."

London to host 2009 European gay rugby Union Cup: Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, said: 'The tournament will provide a platform to introduce lesbian and gay sport to new audiences.' The first Union Cup was held in 2005 in Montpellier, France and then in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007."

Man claims to be JFK's son, wants DNA TEST from Kennedy clan.

Scottish police station hoists rainbow flag. Chief Inspector: "The contribution of LGBT people is often forgotten or ignored. It's great the police is able to recognise those efforts. It sends out the message of support to staff members and the wider public that the force is committed to diversity and equality. I'm sad if some people are unhappy about the flag for religious reasons, but I know many religious people who do not feel it goes against their faith and they are very supportive."

Court orders $3100 fine for Swedish kennel owner who refused to sell a puppy to a woman because she was a lesbian.

Hod: Jewish Orthodox gay group's web presence is born: "We are being watched with a magnifying glass right now. We have to be careful not to ruin our relations with the Orthodox establishment. Besides, we are not at the stage where we can express our opinions about same-sex partnerships and families. Our battles are at a much more elementary level. We are trying to convince rabbis, educators, lay leaders and even the general public that homosexuality is not a mental sickness."

CLASSY: Paparazzi snaps Michelle Williams beside skeleton on first day back from Heath Ledger funeral.

Patron turned away from South African gay bar because of his race.

Birth of gay group at University of Alabama remembered with exhibition: "25 years later, a collection of everything relating to the group — papers, posters, letters, shirts — has been donated to the university's archives. 'No school is fully represented by its official records. We need the unofficial record, too,' said Clark Center, curator of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library. 'The collection is important in that it represents a student group's activities and their intersection with the wider world.' The collection was gathered by Josh Burford, who was approached about a year ago by students wanting to research homosexuals in Tuscaloosa for a paper in his class on modern gay America. By calling on past faculty advisors and members of the group, he was able to collect boxes of papers still kept in basements and offices."

Listen to Mariah Carey's new track "Touch My Body".

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News: Alfie Allen, Huckabee, Alabama, Justin Chambers, Spiral Jetty

Theory that mass grave found in Fort Myers, Florida could be the remains of a serial killer's gay victims gains traction...

Woo! New shrew!

Singer Lily Allen's brother Alfie has taken over Daniel Radcliffe's role in London's Equus. Unlike, Radcliffe, full monty shots of Allen have quickly made it to the internet.

Memorial to gay Holocaust victims in Berlin should be ready within months: "The $890,000 memorial to gay victims will be located in Berlin's Tiergarten Park, across from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Culture Minister Bernd Neumann said."

Iowa's Quad-City Times celebrates the gay American Idol contestant I posted about earlier in the week, Leo Marlowe: "Gwen Costello, librarian and drama director at Northeast High School in Goose Lake, Marlowe’s alma mater, remembers the young thespian playing the jester in 'Once Upon a Mattress' and receiving awards on the speech team. In his high school yearbook, Marlowe, who was voted 'Most Likely to be Famous' from the Class of 2002, was asked to pontificate on what he would do if he could not sing. 'I don’t know what I’d do,' he responded. 'I guess I’d be lost.'...'He’s just so down to earth and can make anybody laugh,” Costello said. “We noticed that right away last night, how he made everybody laugh and made everybody comfortable. That’s what he does best besides singing.' Costello said Marlowe comes from 'a wonderful family. We’re thrilled, we’re just thrilled. I thoroughly expect him to be schmoozing with the big guys soon. He’ll probably be Simon’s best friend someday.'"

Paula: dancing like there's no tomorrow.

Grey's Anatomy's Justin Chambers admitted to same psych ward as Britney Spears — for sleep disorder.

Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty threatened by oil drilling.

Gay populations booming in Alabama and Utah: "In the past 17 years, Utah's gay population has shot from the 38th largest in the country to 14th. Birmingham, Ala., meanwhile, is now home to all-night gay bars and pride parades; the South's gay tally has outpaced any other region. 'What many of the bigger cities like New York were experiencing during the late '60s and '70s is happening here now, but quietly,' says Danny Upton, the head of Equality Alabama."

Pro-gay bills advance in Virginia legislature.

Jesse Metcalfe: Single, hating it.

Oregon fans target UCLA basketball player with homophobic chants: "The target was Kevin Love, the gifted freshman who grew up near Portland but left his home state last year for Westwood. Some Ducks fans, lost in their immaturity, view Love as a traitor. From the warm-ups to the final seconds, they heaped scorn on the Bruins' No. 42 and his family. There's cheering and booing that is within the bounds of civility. But sometimes it goes out of bounds, into a realm society should not condone. You know it when you see it, know it when you hear it. This was out of bounds. There were stabs at Love's looks, at his mother, father and the history of mental illness in his family. This was disgusting. What drew my ire the most were reports of long, loud, homophobic chants directed at UCLA's young center."

Straight teen sues high school, claiming she was prevented from peacefully supporting gay rights: "Heather Gillman, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit in federal court against the School Board and Ponce de Leon High School Principal David Davis. According to the complaint, Davis suspended several students for 'expressing their support for the fair treatment of gays and lesbians.'...'I think everybody should be able to support what they believe in and not be punished for it,' Gillman said Thursday during a conference call with reporters."

Mike Huckabee on what's beautiful about America: “The beauty of America is that a person can come and even make a disruption, and you know what, that person is not going to be taken out and shot.”

The power of persuasion: reality show supermodels sittin' in a tree...

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News: Bill Gates, Warhol Scent, Gyllenspit, Vegas, Britney Spears

I think now she's doing it on purpose. Britney Spears has run over another foot.

Striking gay WGA writers are holding their own march: "It will totally be "Norma Rae" meets the Abbey."

Closet Idol fan? Bill Gates spotted at Kelly Clarkson concert.

In wake of progressive Democrats move to censure Dianne Feinstein, her spokesperson defends: "[Feinstein] has been an independent voice for California."

Barack Obama says there are no existing records from his days in the Illinois state senate: "'I don't have _ I don't maintain _ a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records,' he said at a recent campaign stop in Iowa. He said he wasn't sure where any cache of records might have gone, adding, 'It could have been thrown out. I haven't been in the state Senate now for quite some time.'"

Meet the Dixie Chicks of competitive Bridge.

Andy Warhol Foundation launches first of several fragrances: "The scent developed by Aurelien Guichard is a smoky yet spicy cocktail of incense, grapefruit, wood resin, amber jasmine, cedarwood and violet, one Warhol’s favorite aromas. The term is no longer '€˜unisex'€™ but '€˜universal'€™ to indicate that the perfume can be worn by both men and women and is said to smell like metallic rubber."

For you Scissor Sisters fans (or haters, I suppose): Whack-a-Sister.

Scab-lash: Ellen DeGeneres cancels NYC tapings. "We're delighted that Ellen DeGeneres has decided not to come to New York to tape her program. She knows that the Writers Guild East would have been there to protest her lack of solidarity, not only with her Guild writing staff but all the striking members of the Writers Guild, of which she is a member. We will be even more delighted if she does not cross the Guild picket lines at the NBC Studios in Burbank, where her show usually is produced."

Scientists identify oral sex "swallower" gene...in fish.

Yes, Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon have been captured swapping spit in public.

Broadcast of McCain supporter calling Hillary Clinton a bitch sparks war between McCain campaign and CNN: "Now McCain's campaign is trying to turn this to its advantage -- by opening fire on the network and portraying it as both a Hillary ally and a liberal media foil to McCain. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis has just blasted out an email to supporters demanding that CNN apologize to the Arizona Senator for smearing him."

Bjorn Borg unveils new underwear line, and invites folks to send in pictures of themselves wearing it. Flashback: Model Search.

In July 2006, Patricia Todd became Alabama's first openly gay elected official when she ran a run-off race in the House. Pam Spaulding over at Pam's House blended has posted a series of videos of Todd talking about some of the homophobia she faced during her election.

BOOK: Gay community in Vegas on the upswing.

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News: Facebook Bust, Brian Paddick, Equus, Slava Mogutin

Some students at Notre Dame donning "Gay? Go to Hell" T-shirts.

Bank intern busted by boss after "something came up at home" excuse for his day off was later revealed on his Facebook profile. He does make a cute fairy though.

Alabama gay activist Ken Baker dies at 50: "Unity United Church of Christ recently awarded Baker the Crystal Cross for his advocacy work. He was recognized specifically for his role in starting Equality Alabama and Communities of Faith for Full Inclusion. 'He's sure going to be missed around here,' said longtime friend and colleague Lynn Shaw, who is a past president of the Montgomery Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). 'I just can't believe how everyone's going to go on and function because he was involved in so many things.' Baker, who was gay, was known as a quiet, humble man who was creative and determined in his efforts to promote gay and lesbian rights."

Board of Education in Jefferson County in Kentucky recommends expanding harassment and employment policies to protect gay and lesbian employees, although transgender people are left behind for now: "We decided to include sexual orientation at this time, but decided to hold off on making a decision about transgender because, as of right now, gender identification is both a new and broad definition."

Janice Dickinson has joined the cast of the UK's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and nature is turning her into a savage: "I'm going to stab her in the middle of the night and take hers. You think I'm kidding? I'll eat her tits. I'll fry up those big old boobs."

Politicos nervous about upcoming "tell-all" book from former gay London top cop Brian Paddick to be released one month before critical election. Paddick: "You will be very surprised by some of the things in it, I can assure you."

Lily Allen's brother Alfie steps into Daniel Radcliffe's role in Equus.

Inside photographer Slava Mogutin's New York City go-go diary (warning: NSFW).

Fred Thompson to be endorsed by right-to-life, same-sex marriage foes in Iowa: "He drew an enthusiastic response from his audience when he praised the U.S. health care system and said: 'Let's not let the federal government mess that up.' The crowd also applauded when he brought up gay marriage and said: 'Whether marriage is between a man and a woman -- I thought that was decided a few thousand years ago!'"

Hugh Jackman's back at his favorite activity: getting naked at the beach.

Australian football club supporter mocked after receiving "gay" tattoo. Perhaps he should commisserate with the Dumbledore daddy.

North Carolina "ex-gay" minister proclaiming his success: "To follow christ and to say no to my behavior of homosexuality, um I really felt like I could live life differently that that's what God wanted, he wanted me to pursue him, not pursue men. So people can say, you can't change and I say yes you can." See ya at the next public park sex sting!

Gender Issues Analyst Melissa Fryrear of Focus on the Family continues to claim that all gay people have been sexually violated. (via pam's house blend)

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News: Al Gore, Arctic, Todd Haynes, Wide Stance, J Lo

Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch says he believes in civil unions: "I think people should have the same rights as far as probate is concerned, as far as health care is considered, as far as visitation and all those things."

The New York Times looks at Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan film I'm Not There: "Todd Haynes’s Dylan film isn’t about Dylan. That’s what’s going to be so difficult for people to understand. That’s what’s going to make “I’m Not There” so trying for the really diehard Dylanists. That’s what might upset the non-Dylanists, who may find it hard to figure out why he bothered to make it at all. And that’s why it took Haynes so long to get it made. Haynes was trying to make a Dylan film that is, instead, what Dylan is all about, as he sees it, which is changing, transforming, killing off one Dylan and moving to the next, shedding his artistic skin to stay alive. The twist is that to not be about Dylan can also be said to be true to the subject Dylan."

Al Gore frontrunner for Nobel Peace Prize "in a controversial move that could place saving the planet above saving people from war and conflict."

An animated study of the melting of the Arctic ice pack.

Ugly Betty's subversive flamboyance.

Alabama minister dies during autoerotic undertaking. Gary Aldridge "was found hogtied and wearing two complete wet suits, including a face mask, diving gloves and slippers, rubberized underwear, and a head mask." There was also another detail that the Montogomery Advertiser failed to mention in their story on the late pastor.

J Lo is assembling a lovely collection of body tents but still hasn't announced that she's pregnant.

I Love New York 2 contestant "Unsure" is sure of one thing: he enjoys showing his naughty bits off to the gays.

"Wide stance" enters the lexicon.

The Daily Show's Samantha Bee: "It's been months since the Minneapolis High Court found Larry Craig gay. Now that his petition of 'not gay' has been thrown out, it's official: Larry Craig is gay in the eyes of the law."

Gawker heads inside NYC's "Slingback" party.

Lesbian who was thrown out of New York restaurant women's room by bouncer because she looked like a man, files civil rights lawsuit: "He began pounding on the stall door saying someone had complained that there was a man inside the women’s bathroom, that I had to leave the bathroom and the restaurant. Inside the stall door, I could see him. That horrified me, and it made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I said to him, 'I’m a female, and I’m supposed to be in here.' After I came out of the bathroom stall, I attempted to show him my ID to show him that I was in the right place, and he just refused to look at my identification. His exact words were, 'Your ID is neither here nor there.'"

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Third Sentence Issued in Alabama Murder of Scotty Joe Weaver

A third sentence has been handed down in the brutal 2004 murder case of Scotty Joe Weaver, following the recent sentencing of Robert Lofton and Christopher Gaines, two men who had direct participation in Weaver's death.

Nicole Kelsay, a lifelong friend of Weaver's, watched as Lofton and Gaines beat, strangled, and stabbed him to death. They then transported his body to a rural area and set it on fire. The charred corpse was discovered partially decomposed by the side of a rural road. Kelsay, like Gaines and Lofton, was offered a deal for her guilty plea.

According to WPMI Mobile, "As part of the plea agreement, Kelsay was sentenced to 20-years in prison, however, she will be eligible for parole in about six years."

The sentencing marks the end of a long ordeal for the mother of Scotty Joe Weaver, WKRG reports:

"For the first time since the ordeal began Martha Weaver addressed the court and specifically Kelsay. Afterwards her questions were still unanswered. 'Why did she do it? Why did she plot to hurt him like that? Because he done nothing to her. He always tried to help her. He loved her more than anything.' The three people responsible for Scottie Weaver's murder have now all pleaded guilty. The legal case is over. But it will never be over for Martha Weaver. 'It won't never go away cause I don't have my baby no more. Cause of them, they took him away from me.' In court, Weaver told Kelsay she hoped she would never rest for what she did to Scottie. Kelsay made no statement and left the courtroom in shackles and handcuffs."

Last Guilty Plea In Scottie Weaver Murder Case [wkrg]
Third person pleads guilty to murder in death of Scotty Weaver [wpmi]

(video courtesy WKRG)

You may have missed...
Alabama Man Gets Two Life Sentences for Scotty Joe Weaver Murder [tr]
Christopher Gaines: Life without Parole for Homophobic Murder [tr]

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Alabama Man Gets Two Life Sentences for Scotty Joe Weaver Murder

Following in the footsteps of his accomplice Christopher Gaines, who in May pleaded guilty to the murder of Scotty Joe Weaver in Alabama in 2004 to avoid the death penalty, Robert Holly Lofton Porter also entered a guilt plea on Wednesday and received two consecutive life sentences for the grisly murder.

Porter was scheduled to go to trial in one week for capital murder. The plea deal means he is spared the death penalty and can eventually be paroled, according to AL.com.

The Mobile Press-Register reports: "Liz Campbell, who is representing Porter, said he 'gave confessions that he participated in the murder, so it's kind of hard for him to deny that.' She said her client would be eligible for parole in 15 years even though his sentences are back to back. Prosecutors said a plea agreement is possible with a third defendant, Nichole Bryars Kelsay, 21, who is awaiting trial...Prosecutors have alleged that Gaines and Kelsay called upon Porter to help them kill Weaver. Newcomb called Porter 'someone who is less culpable in that he didn't come up with the plan.' Gaines and Kelsay, who had been dating at the time, shared an apartment with Weaver in the Pine Grove community."

The defendant Porter and two others, Christopher Gaines and Nichole Bryars Kelsay, robbed Weaver (pictured here, along with his mother) of between $65 and $80 before beating, strangling, and stabbing him to death and then setting his body on fire. His charred, decomposed body was discovered by the side of a rural road. Prosecutors say the murder was committed, in part, because Weaver was gay.

The paper continues, "...Porter didn't speak much during the brief sentencing, but as he was escorted down a courthouse hallway after the hearing, he said of the Weaver family: 'Just tell 'em I apologize.'"

Previously
Christopher Gaines: Life without Parole for Homophobic Murder [tr]
Killer in 2004 Alabama Gay Man's Murder Pleads Guilty [tr]

NOTE: Those wanting more information about the Scotty Joe Weaver murder may want to pick up the DVD of the documentary Small Town Gay Bar. It touches on Weaver's killing and offers a close look at the communities surrounding two gay bars in rural Mississippi.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #144

9/11: Good lord. You know they've edited it down to show all the folks who give wrong answers, but the fact they had this many to show is astonishing. (source: slog)

GEORGE W. BUSH: And the "hero's welcome" he received in Albania. Have they had the news on for the past six years?

GAY BOMB: MSNBC interview with Air America's Rachel Maddow.

FISTFIGHT: In case you missed it earlier this month, the fistfight that broke out in the Alabama Senate after Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron called Republican Sen. Charles Bishop a "son of a bitch". Barron denies saying it.

One more: JASON BELLINI interviews Rosie O'Donnell at the True Colors tour.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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News: Iceberg Skeleton, Marc Jacobs, Alabama Fistfight, Paris Hilton

Man arrested for 2005 gay rape in Santa Fe, New Mexico: "The victim told police he was drinking at the Swig nightclub in May 2005 and next remembers waking up in a car in a wooded area. He went to police and was then treated for injuries at a hospital where physical evidence including a DNA sample was collected. Nevada law forced Gonzales to give a DNA sample after he was arrested for attempted robbery in October which put him in the national database."

Melting iceberg off Newfoundland reveals mystery skeleton.

Not so fast: Paris Hilton called back before judge.

Analyst predicts Apple will sell $45 million iPhones by 2009: "While this may seem like a bold prediction, we believe a number in this area is not as far of a reach as some may think."

STUDY: More women experimenting with bisexuality. "The survey, released Thursday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, found that 11.5 percent of women, ages 18 to 44, said they’ve had at least one sexual experience with another women in their lifetimes, compared with about 4 percent of women, ages 18 to 59, who said the same in a comparable survey a decade earlier."

Kentucky's creationist museum in sex scandal: "The man who plays Adam in a video aired at a Bible-based creationist museum has led a different life outside the Garden of Eden, flaunting his sexual exploits online and modeling for a clothing line that promotes free love. After learning about his activities Thursday, the Creation Museum in Kentucky pulled the 40-second video in which he appears."

Man in wheelchair gets hooked to grill of semi-truck, gets ride of his life.

Ricky Martin set for ride down Fifth Avenue in NYC as king of the Puerto Rican Day parade. Martin: "The opportunity to share with many Puerto Ricans, remembering our island, and waving a sea of Puerto Rican flags will be an incredible experience. There are Puerto Ricans in politics, in the Army, in art and business that have made a great contribution to the United States," he said. "We are a generous people, and we are strong in the face of adversity. We are a glad, enthusiastic town with a great sense of unity."

Partisan fistfight in Alabama Senate after Democrat calls Republican a "son of a bitch".

Marc Jacobs and Jason Preston: off again.

New documentary ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway follows Avenue Q, Wicked, Caroline, or Change, and Taboo from rehearsals through opening night: "We see Kushner and composer Jeanine Tesori hammer out lyrics and music for 'Caroline,' while 'Avenue Q' creators Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez -- young, enthusiastic, seemingly doomed -- haul their puppet musical from a 1999 workshop video to the Great White Way. 'Taboo,' a costume extravaganza about the life of nightclub creature Leigh Bowery , attracts tabloid gawking for Boy George's outre make up and O'Donnell's PR pugilism (she's the real star of the show, and that's a problem)."

Jackie Chan gay mobster comedy to get Hollywood makeover. Director Tennenbaum: " "I love [the] movie for so many reasons, including the fact that it is a fresh new idea [flamboyant mobster running a tough heterosexual gang], and has universal themes of humanity, tolerance, and a great sense of humor."

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