News: A-Rod, Ballot Measures, Rio, The Universe, Cubs, Uganda

NYT: Six tests for equality and fairness. "Three jurisdictions — New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia — seem tantalizingly close to securing legislative approval for measures ending the hurtful and unjustifiable exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage. But in Maine, Washington State and Kalamazoo, Mich., voters are being asked on Tuesday to strip away vital rights and protections."

Adam Lambert and Ferras glam it up on Halloween in West Hollywood.

A-Rod's art collection? "He was so vain. He had not one, but two painted portraits of himself as a centaur. You know, the half man, half horse figure? It was ridiculous."

West Hollywood woos gay tourists.

LGBT liaison Dani Lee Harris wears uniform in Atlanta Pride parade: "Harris's decision comes after this week announcing she wouldn't wear her uniform due to backlash from some in the LGBT community over having the police represented in such a high-profile manner during the Atlanta Pride parade after the controversial police raid of gay bar the Atlanta Eagle.

This is the average color of the universe.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urges Hillary Clinton to condemn bill proposed in Uganda that would increase penalties for "aggravated homosexuality" up to and including the death penalty. Here are some of the details on the community discussions of that bill. France slams proposal.

Hugh Jackman turns down offer to host the Oscars for a second year.

Chicago Cubs become first major-league sports franchise with lesbian owner, Laura Ricketts: "On Oct. 30, the Ricketts family were announced as the new owners of the Cubs, buying the team, Wrigley Field and a share in Comcast SportsNet Chicago for $845 million from the Tribune Co, according to MLB.com. Pete, Todd, Tom and Laura make up the board of directors, with Tom as chairman, NBC.com added. "

Study: "Illegal" music file-sharers spend more money buying music.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 video game spot pulled after outrage over "FAGS" acronym.

Gay groups to protest Focus on the Family conference in Birmingham, Alabama. In related news, James Dobson is exiting the group in February.

Robert Pattinson does Vanity Fair.

Male model fix: Matt Loewen.

NYT's Deborah Solomon interviews Maine governor John Baldacci.

Dan Savage: A Halloween tale about why we're winning.

One million celebrate rainy Pride in Rio.

NYT on Referendum 71 in Washington and the attempt by Protect Marriage Washington to keep private the names of signers of the petition to get it on the ballot: "The case, legal experts say, could chart new territory well beyond Washington State. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which had ordered the release of the signatures, said the case presented 'novel questions of whether referendum petition signatures are protected speech under the First Amendment.'”

World's largest cruise ship sets sail from Finland, heads for Florida.

Ethan Hawke praises Madonna for speaking out for Romania's Gypsies: "She transcended being a pop star. She drew international attention and shone the spotlight on a level of racism and the need for greater education."

White House visitor logs opened... BBC: "The White House put some 480 visitor records online on Friday in response to specific requests for information. The newly-released data covers a period from 20 January to 31 July and includes about 100 meetings with Mr Obama. From December, all visitor records will be posted, as part of President Obama's pledge on greater transparency."

A-Rod Scores a Piece of Derek Jeter's Ass at Yankees - Angels Game

Scenes from the dugout at yesterdays Angeles - Yankees game, tweeted by Bill Simmons, who writes ESPN's Sports Guy column.

Jimmy Fallon Mocks A-Rod 'Kiss' Photograph

 

Jimmy Fallon yesterday posted a photo mocking Alex Rodriguez' Details photo shoot.

ESPN's LZ Granderson wrote about the A-Rod photo shoot yesterday with regard to homophobia in the sports world:

"Most men, particularly the insecure ones, hate [A-Rod] because he reminds them of their own perceived shortcomings, and so to make themselves feel better, they call him the one word they have relied on to strip a man of his worth for decades: gay...Clearly, you don't have to be a gay male to be good looking or say, 'Tom Brady is a good-looking guy', but you do have to be secure in who you are and who you are not. And obviously that's a tall order, considering that when many straight males talk about the appearance of another male in a positive way, he usually has to follow that up by punching a dude in the arm or adding a disclaimer such as, 'My girl likes him, so I guess he's good looking.' The true rub is knowing men don't have a problem judging a guy when he's not attractive...It's funny how A-Rod often is criticized for letting his insecurities get the best of him, yet it quite often is his male detractors who let their insecurities get the best of them when talking about him."

A-Rod Loosened Up with Tequila Before Kissing Himself for Details

Details reports, in their cover story, that the thing that worried A-Rod the most before the steroid revelation was the public finding out his favorite Madonna song and having it played as he stepped up to bat at an away game:

"Maybe Rodriguez is in denial. He's just spent the afternoon happily posing for the cover shoot for this story, showing off his strapping physique and loosening up with shots of Patrón. His pals talk of continuing the party nearby, at the remodeled Fontainebleu hotel. When he calls later there's no panic in his voice, no foreshadowing of the humiliation that he, at least, knows is coming. It really is as though his biggest concern in the world is that Madonna song. That fear is misdirected anyhow: Like an opposing team's ballpark needs any inspiration to crank up a Madonna song when A-Rod comes to the plate. Velvet-vested organists have been practicing the entire Ciccone oeuvre for months."

(photos by Steven Klein)

More shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

New Book to Explore A-Rod's Sexuality?

Outsports reports that Selena Roberts, the Sports Illustrated co-writer who broke the recent story of Alex Rodriguez testing positive for steroids in 2004, has a book on the slugger coming out in May.

Among the nuggets that it supposedly tackles is A-Rod's sexuality.

Bob's Blitz, a sports gossip blog, reports: "The Blitz has learned Hit and Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts will be out May 19, 2009 - exactly one week before the Yanks head to...Texas to play the Rangers. It is rumored that the book may take a look at A-rod's struggle with his sexuality as well as his steroid use. The NY Daily News once had a curious quote, "A petite stripper at the Hustler Club said A-Rod 'likes the she-male, muscular type. They brought me up to the champagne room one time. I spun around once and that was it. I'm not his type.'"

News: A-Rod, Connecticut, Surfer Dude, Sweden, Barack Obama

Quinnipiac Poll: Connecticut voters back same-sex marriage. "Fifty-two percent say they support the ruling, while 39 percent oppose it. Nine percent are undecided. But voters strongly oppose amending Connecticut's constitution to ban same-sex marriage, 61 percent to 33 percent. The same poll of 1,445 registered voters gives Senators Joseph Lieberman and Christopher Dodd their lowest approval ratings in the survey's history."

Obama named 'TIME Person of the Year'.

Tom Cruise draws everyone's attention to his ass.

Reverend Irene Monroe: Gay is not the new Black. "How the marriage debate should have been framed -- in a way that speaks truth to various queer communities of color and classes -- has not been given considerable concern. And with no public language to adequately articulate the unique embodiment of queer communities of color and classes within the same-sex marriage debate, this has become contentious. The dominant white queer languaging of this debate, at best, muffles the voices of these communities, and, at worst, mutes them. In other words, in leaving out the voices of queer communities of color and classes, the same-sex marriage debate is hijacked by a white upper class queer universality that not only renders these marginalized queer communities invisible, but -- as it is presently framed -- also renders them speechless."

2008 ninth warmest year since 1880: "...all of the nine warmest years have occurred in the past 11 years, NASA reported on Tuesday."

Protecting Madonna's prized possession.

Magazines sacrificing websites to save print editions: "The operating policy now, particularly at Condé Nast, basically reads: Revenue first! Future later. And the printed page, the luxury object, is still where you find the money these days."

Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist appears before judge: "The court decided to keep Muntazer al-Zaidi in custody, and after an investigation is carried out the judge may send him for trial under a clause in the Iraqi penal code that punishes anyone who attempts to murder Iraqi or foreign presidents. Such a crime could result in imprisonment of seven to 15 years. His brother claimed yesterday that the television reporter had been beaten in custody. Zaidi suffered a broken hand, broken ribs, internal bleeding and an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC."

The only part of Matthew McConaughey's Surfer Dude you ever need to see (NSFW).

New gay bar to open in Cathedral City near Palm Springs.

L.A. Times profiles Aliyah Bacchus: "There she is at 17, barely 90 pounds, smiling sourly on her wedding day in Queens, N.Y., dressed in hijab -- a pearl-toned princess bridal gown shimmering with beads, her slender hands dipped in sleek white gloves, a veil attached to a white qimar, or head scarf, fastened snugly around her face. The man her father chose for her stands behind Aliyah wearing a black bow tie, his hands resting on her bony shoulders. That was before. Before she walked out on the marriage. Before her Guyana-born Muslim family discovered she was gay. Before she fled."

Conservative attorneys protesting revision to Arizona Bar oath which adds sexual orientation to an anti-discrimination clause. It reads: "I will not permit considerations of gender, race, religion, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or social standing to influence my duty of care."

Robert Pattinson, a pirate he will be.

Satellites observe largest-ever breach of Earth's magnetic field: "Scientists have long known that the Earth’s magnetic field, which guards against severe space weather, is similar to a drafty old house that sometimes lets in violent eruptions of charged particles from the sun. Such a breach can cause brilliant auroras or disrupt satellite and ground communications."

Scottish students mourn gay fellow classmate who died in accidental fall from balcony.

Swedish high court rejects same-sex marriage performed in Canada: "The court referred to the definition contained within Swedish legislation covering marriage, concluding that the term applies only to a union between a man and a woman while a union between two people of the same sex is designated as a partnership."