News: Thomas Roberts, Penguins, Jason Castro, Kylie Minogue

New York high court refuses to strike down state's recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriage: "The Court of Appeals declined yesterday to review the mid-level appellate court's decision to recognize the couple's Canadian marriage, the first such ruling by an appellate court in New York State. For now, that lower court decision remains binding across the state."

Thomas Roberts talks to The Advocate about the news industry's glass ceiling for gays: "It’s funny that people think I got fired from CNN. I left CNN on my accord: I resigned from my contract because of personal reasons. I never dealt with anything but respect and kindness. There’s a great misconception. I’ve worked my ass off, I’ve been fortunate, and luck doesn’t hurt either. If people don’t like that I’m gay or that I talk about being gay, I’m sorry. Because that’s not my problem."

American Idol's resident stoner Jason Castro has his own hot doll, complete with dreads, and it can be yours.

A-Rod faints as daughter is born.

Have any questions for Chace Crawford?

Filipino Archbishop defends right of gays to participate in Santacruzans: "If they are devotees, they are religious and they look decent, I believe they have the right to join in. I think it would be better for us to see gays who act formally and decently in the Santacruzan rather than young and beautiful women who are not clean and [are] immoral."

Gay penguin book And Tango Makes Three is "most objected to" library book in America for second year straight: "Other books on the ALA's top 10 list include Maya Angelou's memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which the author writes of being raped as a young girl; Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, long attacked for alleged racism; and Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, an anti-religious work in which a former nun says: 'The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake.'"

Three teenage girls admit to tagging school and vehicles with racial, vulgar and homophobic messages in Wisconsin.

Moldova hopes to hold its first Gay Pride ever: "Organisers of the Gay Pride in Moldova – 'Rainbow over the Dniester' – are hopeful of being able to stage a parade this year in the country’s capital, Chisinau. The Pride is the seventh to be organised, but in previous years the parade has been banned by the authorities. 'During three previous consecutive years, public authorities have banned the public manifestations on various pretexts,' said a spokesperson for GenderDoc-M, the Pride organisers. 'This year after we applied to the City Hall to inform the authorities about planned public manifestation within the Pride, we got the information, which gave us hope.'"

Kylie Minogue show hot out of the gates in Paris.

One benefit to having a fat ass.

Rhode Island lawmakers to debate bills that would allow same-sex couples married elsewhere to divorce in that state: "Lawmakers filed the divorce bill after Rhode Island's Supreme Court ruled in December that a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts cannot divorce in Rhode Island, where they live. Massachusetts is the only state to legalize gay marriage."

Looks like Dick Cheney's gone hunting again.

John Travolta is a subway terrorist.

White House admits it is missing email backups from start of Iraq war: "The White House acknowledged in a court filing last night that it no longer has backup tapes of email from between March 1 and May 22, 2003, a period that includes the beginning of the Iraq war. Yesterday's filing is the latest development in the ongoing White House emails lawsuit, in which two non-profits, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive (NSA), are suing to force the administration to recover any missing emails and institute a more effective email archiving system."

Sphere: Related Content

News: Tom Hanks, Costume Gala, McCain Judges, Santacruzans

House owned by gay escort to socialites James Hunt Barker burns in Palm Beach, Florida.

Britney back as Neil Patrick Harris' trophy gal on How I Met Your Mother.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute gala was themed Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, but I didn't see many capes or codpieces.

Matthew McConaughey to play Captain America?

In anticipation of Brothers and Sisters' big gay wedding this weekend, GLAAD has put together a handy reference guide to weddings of same-sex couples on broadcast networks.

Publishers Weekly on the state of gay book publishing: "In my view, it is clear that today there is less and less visible publishing of gay and lesbian books. Carroll & Graf, Alyson and Harrington Park Press—in recent years the most energetic publishers of gay/lesbian fiction and nonfiction—have all either failed, drastically reduced their list of GLBT titles, or have been undergoing serial management/ownership changes. As for what most folks would consider the mainstream publishing houses, they are publishing far less of what could credibly be labeled 'gay or lesbian books' than they were 10 years ago. But what I find more distressing is that even those books that they do publish are packaged and promoted in such a way as to downplay or ignore the gay or lesbian aspect of the book."

"Official celebrity" Tom Hanks releases video endorsement of Barack Obama.

Beloved Provincetown local "Dixie" dies in accident at home.

McCain wooing conservatives with promises on judges: "McCain promised to appoint judges who, in the mold of Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, are likely to limit the reach of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. 'They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me,' McCain said in his prepared speech."

McCain aides attribute Hagee endorsement to "poor vetting": "McCain’s aides attribute the Hagee controversy to poor vetting. But even some Republicans (not affiliated with the campaign) privately wonder how the pastor’s extreme views slipped through without notice. McCain personally wooed Hagee for more than a year." Frank Rich: "Any 12-year-old with a laptop could have vetted this preacher in 30 seconds, tops."

Is Banksy the Michelangelo of graffiti?

If Brad Pitt and U2's The Edge were a gay couple with a family, this is what it might look like.

Filipino Cardinal bans gay Santacruzans: "Parishes that allow cross-dressing homosexuals to play female saints in religious festivals are insulting the Virgin Mary, the nation’s top Catholic cleric said Monday. 'We should keep sacred what is sacred,' Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said as he admonished parishes for allowing male homosexuals to play Saint Helena and other female roles traditionally given to local beauty queens. But leaders of the gay community maintained that “Marian devotees” among them deserved a place in the Maytime tradition."

Ian Strachan to appeal conviction for gay blackmail of British Royal.

Sphere: Related Content

Towleroad TV: Augusten Burroughs at Home in Massachusetts

Our Towleroad TV team Josh Helmin and Josh Koll paid a visit to author Augusten Burroughs at his home in Amherst, Massachusetts where he lives with his partner Dennis and their two French bulldogs. Burroughs opened up about his new book, A Wolf at the Table, his tattoos, and his next big project.

Watch our latest segment, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously on TOWLEROAD TV
Mario Lopez on A Chorus Line, His New Book, and Gay Fans [tr]
Christopher Rice on Death Threats and His New Thriller Blind Fall [tr]

*note: St. Martin's Press is a Towleroad advertiser.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Ling Ling, Jake Gyllenhaal, MIT, Reichen, Kathy Griffin

Smith College students protest, defeat Ryan Sorba, author of The Born Gay Hoax.

One of Tokyo's most famous is dead at 22 (that's 70 in human years).

MIT takes no action against student who threatened LGBT group after receiving an email about the group's end-of-semester celebration. Said the student's email: "If you fucking fags send me something like that once again or contact me in any other way, I swear you won’t be able to study at Sloan for some time because you will spend it at resuscitation department. If this is what you want, go ahead." (email and response)

A new Nike ad directed by Guy Ritchie.

Anglican school council in Australia formally endorses ban on bringing same-sex partners to the school formal: "Up to eight students had wanted to take boyfriends and raised the issue with a senior staff member, who passed the request to Churchie headmaster Jonathan Hensman. At the time Mr Hensman said it was not appropriate for students to take a same-sex partner because escorting a young woman to a formal was part of the boys' education. But after reports in The Courier-Mail Mr Hensman referred the matter to the school council. A brief statement posted on the Churchie website yesterday said the council 'strongly supported the headmaster's position on the school's education programs in social settings'."

Reichen Lehmkuhl splits with model boyfriend Ryan Barry, writes up list of Hollywood dating tips.

Viral campaign for The Dark Knight issues 35 mm film trailers to 12 winners of its contest, each one individually defaced by The Joker.

Presbyterian church court issues conflicted ruling in same-sex union case: "A San Rafael minister who presided over several same-sex ceremonies didn't violate Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) rules, because same-sex marriages don't exist in the church, a church court ruled Tuesday. At the same time, the Permanent Judicial Council's ruling affirmed the right of same-sex couples to have unions, a ceremony that would theoretically have a distinct liturgy. The ambivalent ruling - affirming the rights of gays and lesbians to have their relationships sanctioned by the church but not considering them equal to those of heterosexual couples - is likely to disappoint both sides in the debate."

Tenant who lived in Austrian incest house heard knocking from the basement for 12 years but did nothing: "I wish to God that I could turn back the clock. The signs were all there but it was impossible for me to recognise them. Who would ever believe something so terrible was going on right under my feet? It is a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life."

Street artist targeting NYC subway ads.

Kathy Griffin was fired from Hannah Montana because she told Jesus to suck it.

Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick is somewhere under the rainbow.

Gay books: Publishing Triangle awards handed out.

Hometown boy makes good: Portland paper profiles Chad White.

Jake Gyllenhaal is opening a restaurant: "The so-called ‘closet chef’ is said to be in the development stages of an organic restaurant project, for which he plans to travel throughout Italy collecting ideas...The actor has always said he planned to open a high-end dining venue by the time he was thirty (he has three years left), as long as his acting career had put him in a position that would make that possible."

Dusty Springfield to be played by...Nicole Kidman?

Sphere: Related Content

News: Jim Neal, Ronaldo, Gay Sauna, Smiley Face, Charlie Crist

AFA asks followers to bombard Procter & Gamble with complaints over Luke and Noah's kiss.

Brazilian footballer Ronaldo caught up in tranny hooker extortion plot: "He told police he knew they were hookers, but didn't know they were dudes. He took the three trannies to a motel where he discovered the truth. He offered them around $600 each to leave. Two of the trannies accepted, but the other tranny, Andre Luis Ribeiro Albertino (above), demanded $30,000 or else."

Out has an exclusive excerpt from John Barrowman's new autobiography, Anything Goes.

Hillary Clinton supporter set up Reverend Jeremiah Wright appearance at National Press Club.

HRC refusing to support gay candidate Jim Neal in North Carolina...

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter appoints liaison to LGBT community. Mayor: "For the first time, the LGBT liaison will actually be operating out of the mayor's office, working across city government to advocate for the needs of Philadelphia's LGBT community."

Australian forum hears calls for gay-friendlier nursing homes.

Male autograph seekers mob Lance Bass outside Villa nightclub.

Police raid gay sauna in Israel: "The association's chairman, Mike Hammel, said that 'the sauna is a meeting place for men looking to meet men.' Hammel received many complaints from the sauna's visitors accusing him of slander. The sauna is viewed as a recreational place for gays around the world. In Tel-Aviv, for instance, there are three running saunas. A. established the sauna in Haifa a few months ago, investing large sums of money, and has run it ever since. This is the only place in the north serving as a meeting place for the gay community. 'Saying that this place provides prostitution services, is simply ignorance and stupidity', he said to Ynet. 'Only in Haifa can they come to a place for gays, remove people as if they were a herd of animals, and simply place them under investigation for prostitution.'"

Smiley Face: Investigators discover common link between 40 murder cases of young men across the country. "Gannon and Duarte have done something that no other law enforcement agency has ever done in this case -- they looked at the big picture and visited each site where the young men disappeared. While most local investigations focused on where a body was recovered, Gannon and Duarte tried to figure out where the body went into the river. City after city, when they'd find the spot where the body went in, they would find something else: The symbol of a smiley face."

Cher reminisces about affair with Tom Cruise: "It could have been a great big romance because I was crazy for him."

Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley doing what he does best.

Military responds to disgusting video of conditions at Fort Bragg: " Frawley's 10-minute video shows still photos from throughout the building, which appears to be falling apart and filled with mold and rust. Paint -- which Frawley said is lead-based -- is chipping. Ceiling tiles are missing. A broken drain pipe allows sewer gas into the building, while another one has tissues stuffed into it in an apparent effort to stop the gas from coming in. Photos from the communal bathroom show some of the most disgusting images. In one, a soldier stands in a sink to avoid what Frawley describes as 3 inches of sewage water that filled the floor when toilets overflowed."

Letter from Bible beater to underwear company condemns "evil, immoral clothing that will keep souls out of the holy, heavenly kingdom."

Who knew? Florida Governor Charlie Crist has a wife (or at least some want him to be seen that way).

Sphere: Related Content

News: Raymond Burr, Flowers, Mychal Judge, Ross Bleckner

Vigil held for Father Mychal Judge on eve of Pope's Ground Zero visit: "He had a heart as big as New York. There was room for everybody. We wish that our church had room for everybody, and that was one of our prayers tonight, that our church would be welcoming, especially those who feel excluded, especially gays and lesbians."

Jesse Metcalfe shows off new tuff n hairy shots.

Enrique Iglesias says people are pleasantly surprised when they pull down his pants.

David Zippel (lyricist and co-librettist), Joe Leonardo (co-librettist) and Jonathan Sheffer (composer) team up for musical version of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's 1930 Broadway comedy, Once in a Lifetime to star Christine Ebersole. The show, which is having a reading next month, is to be directed by Jerry Mitchell.

Singapore restricts videogames with gay themes: "People Like Us considers this new rule unjustifiably strict. Children should not have to be kept ignorant about the presence of gay people in society anymore than they should be shielded from people of other faiths and ethnicities. The path to acceptance of gay people is through teaching children about diversity from a young age. It is pejorative to lump gay sexual orientation with crime and drug use as the MDA’s new guidelines do, as if gay orientation is some kind of social threat."

Hillary Clinton slams MoveOn.org at private fundraiser. Clinton strategist Geoff Garin responds...

Gay men being "liberated from a narrow place" at New York Jewish seminary.

Dead or Alive's Pete Burns has reportedly leaked his own sex tape.

BOOK: Perry Mason's Raymond Burr led a secret gay life.

Britney Spears to return to How I Met your Mother because "she had so much fun the first time around."

Gay bookstore in Vancouver that challenged Canadian Customs is up for sale: "Only two years after the store opened in 1983, the owners took on a fight that bolstered and exhausted them, lasting until just last year and challenging Canada's censorship laws. After 23 years of fighting Canada Customs' seizures of books bound for the gay and lesbian bookshop, the partners have put Little Sister's up for sale. It's time to do something else, Deva says as he plans to get a choir booked for the store's 25th anniversary celebrations. 'It's probably time to pass on the torch hopefully to some younger, energetic people who are willing to work with our store,' he says. 'I'm not in a rush. We're going to take our time.' The fight against Customs put the store at the forefront of the battle against censorship in Canada. Among books seized were Jean Genet's Querelle, Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant, Joe Orton's Prick Up Your Ears, The Joy of Gay Sex and The Joy of Lesbian Sex."

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the tarot cards!

You're Going to be Gay: New book looks at childhood pictures that foretell a gay future.

Gay UK airport security guard could be awarded up to £30,000 in sexual harassment claim over female co-worker who came on to him.

Artist Ross Bleckner penning a memoir: "'It's based on the journals he has kept for years,' says a pal. 'And he is writing it as if he is giving advice to his younger self.' The New York painter is expected to include recollections about famous friends including Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg and former Mrs. Ron Perelman, Claudia Cohen."

Flowers appear to be losing their scent and experts are worried: "The potentially hugely significant research – funded by the blue-chip US National Science Foundation – has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions of car exhausts prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects in order to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects' ability to repel enemies and attract mates may also be impeded."

Sphere: Related Content

PlanetOut Sells Magazine and Book Publishing Biz

In a $6 million cash deal, PlanetOut Inc. agreed to sell its magazine and book publishing business — including Out and The Advocate — to Regent Releasing, owner of Here! network, today.

According to San Francisco Business Times, "A formal agreement should be done by April 30 and the deal should close by August 31."

Sphere: Related Content

Tom Cruise Did Not Attend Gay Artist Party with Gay Cowboy

Nor will he be appearing in any book named after a gay disco anthem.

The NYDN's Ben Widdicombe reports on a chat he had recently with the Village People's original gay cowboy Randy Jones, who recently sold his memoir Macho Man to a publisher:

"Jones had a story about meeting Cruise in 1982, when the young actor's most notable film was 'Taps.'...'Tom and I had the same management company at the time,' Jones told me at the new Bowery hot spot Antik. 'I met him at a party Andy Warhol threw for Peter Gatien's Limelight [nightclub offshoot] in Atlanta.' To hear Jones tell the story, it was quite a party. But after calls went out to a spokeswoman and attorney for the 'Mission: Impossible' star yesterday, the book's editor assured me that Cruise's name had been removed from the final version."

Tom Cruise outguns the Cowboy [nydn widdicombe]

Sphere: Related Content

News: Charlton Heston, Rickroll, Woody Harrelson, Singapore

Canadian PM Stephen Harper urged to repudiate gay slur by Saskatchewan MP Thomas Lukiwski: "The prime minister needs to deal with this issue directly and try to put it behind him as soon as possible. I think the prime minister has to personally say, 'I don't accept these comments, I repudiate them and it's not part of the party or the government or where its mind is at on a lot of these issues right now."

New book Uncle Bobby's Wedding teaches children about same-sex marriage: "Cute guinea pigs stand in for humans in this sensitive story in which Chloe is not concerned that her favorite uncle is marrying another male, only about how it will affect her close relationship with Uncle Bobby. When he assures her that they can still have fun together, she relaxes and gets into her role as flower girl. Sarah S. Brannen takes a calm, straightforward approach to this hot-button issue, as when Chloe asks her mother, 'How can Uncle Bobby get married?' Mama answers, 'When grown-up people love each other that much, they want to be married.'"

Woody Harrelson goes skinnydipping with Owen Wilson.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in slush fund scandal: "Chris Quinn could well become the first lesbian mayor of the largest city in the United States, but she could just as well end up indicted in a fiscal scandal that threatens to unravel what has been a political career marked by political savvy and unbounded ambition."

Charlton Heston dies at 83: "Although Heston talked about and praised the "brilliantly talented homosexuals" he worked with during his career, he was often accused of being homophobic, especially later in his life. In a 1997 speech at the Free Congress Foundation's 20th Anniversary Gala, Heston was criticized by gay rights groups, including GLAAD, for derogatory remarks made toward the gay community. In the speech, Heston demonstrated both tolerance and discrimination against gays in almost equal measure. 'Many homosexuals are hugely talented artists and executives... also dear friends. I don't despise their lifestyle, though I don't share it,' Heston stated. 'As long as gay and lesbian Americans are as productive, law-abiding and private as the rest of us, I think America owes them absolute tolerance. It's the right thing to do. But on the other hand,' Heston continued. 'I find my blood pressure rising when Clinton's cultural shock troops participate in homosexual-rights fund-raisers but boycott gun-rights fund-raisers... and then claim it's time to place homosexual men in tents with Boy Scouts, and suggest that sperm donor babies born into lesbian relationships are somehow better served and more loved.'"

Censor board bans four films at Singapore Film Festival: "It said the films 'exceed the Film Classification Guidelines'. Board of Film Censors chairman Amy Chua said 'Arabs and Terrorism' and another film, 'David the Tolhildan', were "disallowed on account of their sympathetic portrayal of organisations deemed terrorist organisations by many countries...Another rejected film, 'A Jihad for Love' by gay Muslim film-maker Parvez Sharma, is about homosexual people living within Muslim communities, the festival said. In a statement, Chua said the film was disallowed because of 'the sensitive nature of the subject'."

JC ya later: Chace Crawford and Carrie Underwood broke up via text message.

The ugly homophobic truth about the RickRoll.

Protest as "ex-gay" group Exodus International holds convention in Fresno, California: "The opposing viewpoints echoed a debate that has played out across the country. The Orlando-based Exodus and a handful of other groups have sought to present what they describe as a Christian alternative to a gay lifestyle. But their efforts have inspired a backlash from people who say such an approach can lead to self-loathing. Saturday's protest was cordial. The protesters -- about a dozen -- kept their distance, and at one point, Exodus president Alan Chambers offered to bring them coffee. It was the last day of a three-day conference. About 150 people from all over California attended. It included talks by the mother of actress Anne Heche, who had a relationship with openly gay Ellen Degeneres, and Chambers, a formerly gay man who has since married a Fresno woman. They have two children."

Death by blogging: Can't say I don't relate.

Head of security for Siegfried and Roy details Roy Horn's instructions for him to cut up their deceased tiger Sahara and cremate it.

Moment of truth: Perez Hilton takes lie detector test over John Mayer make-out session.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Botox, Life Before Death, Shelter, Aladygma

An update on yesterday's post. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reversed decision and allowed Tammy Baldwin's partner Lauren Azar to travel on congressional trip after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intervened.

Soul departed: "Life Before Death" photographic portrait project shows in London.

Like Ryan Seacrest, Madonna and Guy Ritchie sleep with their BlackBerries.

Thailand Public Health Ministry bans castration: "The Medical Council of Thailand last week also warned that castration is a health risk. Providing the operation for young boys was unethical and could damage hormone growth and physical development, it said. The warning came after Natee Teerarojjanapongs, the leader of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, called on the council to take action against clinics performing castrations on young ladyboys. Castration is a step towards a sex-change but is also a standard treatment for some kinds of cancer. Mr Natee said many parents of young boys keen to have their testes removed had complained about the influence of advertisements on the internet that say the surgery is inexpensive and the result similar to a sex-change operation."

ALADYGMA: Viral campaign suspected to be sequel to Cloverfield begins.

NYT on gay surf romance Shelter: "Coming out has rarely looked so pretty."

Arts Council England asks applicants for grants about their sexuality: "Individuals and arts bodies applying for money are invited to state if they or their board members are bisexual, gay, straight, lesbian or 'unknown'. Arts Council England insisted last night that the voluntary request would never be used to decide whether an artist or organisation should receive money for projects. A spokesman also denied reports that artists would have to answer the question for the rest of the grant application form to be valid." Sir Ian McKellen: "It sounds extraordinary, It shouldn't be on a form. It's quite inappropriate."

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List: Heroes star Hayden Panettiere to star in movie about gay boy love triangle.

Still recovering from cancer-related surgery, film critic Roger Ebert will begin writing reviews again. Ebert cannot currently speak: "But I still have all my other abilities, including the love of viewing movies and writing about them."

American Idol contestant David Cook hospitalized and released after heart palpitations.

Lab tests warn one form of botulinum toxin can move from the face to the brain: "Scientists injected rats' whisker muscles with botulism toxin. Tests of the rodents' brain tissue found that botulism had been transported to the brain stems, the researchers said in the Journal of Neuroscience published April 2." Human issues unknown.

The Collin County Commissioners Court scraps plans to discuss "job status" of City Council candidate Justin Nichol's employment as coordinator of the county’s teen court that were scheduled after revelations that he is openly gay: "Mr. Nichols, who is running for council against Pat Miner, said he hoped the matter would soon be resolved. 'I look forward to getting back to teen court and bringing my message back to the voters of Plano,' said Mr. Nichols, 23. The brouhaha started last month after the Dallas Voice, a weekly gay and lesbian newspaper, ran a story about Mr. Nichols’s candidacy that mentioned his sexual orientation. Though Mr. Nichols was openly gay before the article’s publication, he said the story and subsequent attention it drew spurred the request to discuss his job."

Gay-themed children's books pulled from British school concerned over "lack of consultation" with parents: "One of the library books was a fairytale about a king who couldn’t find a woman to love and eventually married a prince. This was for children aged five to read. The issue should have been, how do we stop bullying in general, and teaching about homosexuality can be a part of that. This was completely one-sided. Homosexuality is not a priority to parents, but academic achievement is. This just makes parents think 'What the heck is my child being taught at school?’"

Sphere: Related Content

News: Johnny Depp, Eureka Springs, Clark Gable, Bounty Killer

BOOK: Clark Gable was gay for pay. "David Bret’s angle on Clark Gable is this: Gable was 'gay for pay' and 'rough trade,' and he enjoyed having sex 'for bucks.' In addition, he 'would sometimes scrub his penis until it bled' and used a device to prolong erections. If these tidbits from the book’s first few pages aren’t too much information for you, you’re in luck. This breathtakingly trashy biography does not skimp on sordid anecdotes."

Johnny Depp the new, uh, face of Trojan condoms?

Gawker goes to the NYC Black Party.

T.R. Knight steps out with boyfriend Mark Cornelsen: We all have AIDS.

Survey shows increased support for gay marriage in Ireland: "Eighty-four per cent of respondents to an opinion poll conducted this month by Lansdowne Market Research said they supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples. This is the same figure as a similar survey carried out in November 2006. However, 58% said gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry in registry offices, compared to 51% in the previous survey."

Did Heath Ledger father a love child?

Could Al Gore be brought in for clean-up duty at the convention? "Let’s say the elders of the Democratic Party decide, when the primaries end, that neither Obama nor Clinton is viable. Let’s also assume — and this may be a real stretch — that such elders are strong and smart enough to act. All they’d have to do would be to convince a significant fraction of their superdelegate friends, maybe fewer than 100, to announce that they were taking a pass on the first ballot at the Denver convention, which would deny the 2,025 votes necessary to Obama or Clinton. What if they then approached Gore and asked him to be the nominee, for the good of the party — and suggested that he take Obama as his running mate? Of course, Obama would have to be a party to the deal and bring his 1,900 or so delegates along."

Madonna on the paparazzi: "The paparazzi are out of control. I haven't been to Los Angeles in quite a while, and I don’t watch television here or in England, and I was told there's now a television show where the paparazzi are the stars of the show—is that true? That they film each other doing paparazzi jobs? Which gives them more fuel. I usually found that type kept their distance—they definitely do in England, because it's illegal to photograph children. But that's not how it is here. They get this close, and don't care how much they scare your children. Being famous has changed a lot, because now there's so many outlets, between magazines, TV shows, and the Internet, for people to stalk and follow you. We created the monster."

Gay couple faces harsh realities in move from New Jersey to Idaho.

Is Regent Entertainment circling gay publications Out and The Advocate?

HIV-positive Canadian Martin Rooney takes on U.S. travel ban: "I said I was on disability. He said what's my disability. I said I have HIV. He hauled me into a backroom. ... He put on a set of rubber gloves to hold each of my fingers. Nobody else wore rubber gloves. Then he fingerprinted me, photographed me, ran me through the FBI's most-wanted list and told me to go back to Canada and not return until I came back with a waiver. I felt like I was being treated like a terrorist."

Arkansas gays converge on Eureka Springs for 'Diversity Weekend': "Homosexual and transsexual residents say that living in Northwest Arkansas has its benefits, such as the small-town atmosphere, natural beauty, and amenities such as shopping and restaurants. But many lament the limited social venues and a lack of connectivity within their own community. 'There is a fairly large population of people that are gay, lesbian or bisexual, but there is no community,' said Fayetteville resident J. Judd Harbin."

Ricky Martin battles human trafficking in Cambodia

Human rights groups halt concerts by 'murder music' singer Bounty Killer: "In Germany, Bounty Killer's performance in Essen was cancelled and other German concert dates are now in doubt as gay human rights groups are coordinating a Europe-wide campaign to halt his 'Deadly Alliance' tour of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland."

Sphere: Related Content

Christopher Rice on Death Threats and His New Thriller Blind Fall

I'm proud to bring you our very first edition of Towleroad TV! This is a special feature we'll be presenting from time to time featuring various personalities and topics.

In the first edition, put together by our correspondents Josh Koll and Josh Helmin, Christopher Rice talks about his new thriller Blind Fall, as well as how he researched the novel and early reactions to it, some of which came in the form of death threats.

Says Rice: "Blind Fall is a thriller. It addresses the issue of gays in the military. It does kind of show you the sacrifices that gay Marines have to make to be Marines. And so that's the political component of the book...I did a YouTube video where I basically talked about...my disdain for the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which is currently in effect in our nation's military. And so the video went up and maybe within a day there was a storm of comments calling basically for my death — that I disgraced the Marine Corps, that I should be shot between the eyes, everyone like me should be shot between the eyes — and I thought maybe I was overreacting, so I emailed a very good friend of mine who's sort of a gay activist with a long history of working in the community, and I said 'Are these death threats?' And he said 'mmm-hmmm. Yeah. They are.'"

Blind Fall [amazon]

Josh Koll and Josh Helmin write their own blog, Josh & Josh are Rich and Famous.

And the YouTube video to which Rice refers in our segment, AFTER THE JUMP...

Sphere: Related Content

News: Gayest Looks, Christian Siriano, Blackmail, Marc Jacobs

My Gayest Look: A site for Jay Leno. Submit yours!

A view of the jungle shot by an elephant who carries around a hidden camera in a log.

Britney Spears may soon have her own sitcom!

Straight cops at University of New Mexico claim discrimination by gay superiors: "The two complaining officers, with a combined 24 years of experience with the UNM police department, filed a complaint with the state Department of Workforce Solutions arguing that they are being treated unfairly because they are straight and their superiors are gay. Lieutenant Michael Young contends that his job as administrative lieutenant was taken from him by Police Chief Kathy Guimond, whom Young claims is gay, and given to Lieutenant Patrick Davis, who is also gay. Young also claims another gay superior, Commander Debbie Kuidis, with Davis were given higher evaluation ratings by Chief Guimond and greater pay raises."

Karl Lagerfeld bodyguard smacks down paparazzo: "A paparazzo lurked from out of the shadows and started snapping away at them, and out of nowhere, one of Lagerfeld's guys just threw him to the ground." I wonder if it was Sebastian?

Scott Heim talks to the SF Chronicle about his latest novel, We Disappear: "What's true and what isn't - that's such an obsession with so many readers. If you say it's totally fictional, or you don't fess up to things, they tend to feel like they've been cheated or something. But if you say, 'Oh yeah, it's from experience,' then they kind of have this idea that you don't have an imagination."

David Beckham earns his 100th cap in a pair of golden booties.

The booties so impressed Beckham's son Romeo, that he dug for some gold of his own.

Keith Richards discusses Mick Jagger's sexuality: "It was camp. Yeah. It was all… I really have no idea if anyone ever shoved it up the shitter."

Kids coming out earlier than ever: "We're working not for tolerance, but for acceptance. I don't care if it's race, gender or sexual orientation. We need to accept the uniqueness of each and every one."

Student ambassadors train against school violence: "The training session was dedicated to Lawrence King, the Oxnard junior high school boy who last month was shot and killed, allegedly by a classmate, purportedly for admitting he was gay. The Oak Park ambassadors, who maintain anonymity for safety reasons, wrote their comments on a poster in memory of the 15-year-old victim: 'Lawrence, what happened to you is extremely unfair. Everyone deserves a chance in life no matter what sex, religion, sexual preference, anything. Your story will teach many people to be better people.' And, 'You are told to forgive and forget but the reality is you don't do either.'"

Marc Jacobs hits L.A. with new man.

Melbourne, Australia teacher fined $3,000 for blackmailing former lover with a sex video: "Hicks became aware that the victim was a 'closet homosexual' who had a wife and daughter who were not aware of his activities, Judge Michael McInerney told the court. 'He was discreet, or discreet as one can be if you pick up someone in a public toilet,' he said. The court was told that during one of their liaisons, Hicks - who also was married, had a child and was bisexual - recorded them on his mobile phone participating in a sex act. Hicks later approached the victim and told him he had a video of them and that he wanted $3,000 or he would show it to the victim's wife and put it on YouTube, the court heard."

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano designed the dress that Kimberley Locke performed in on last night's American Idol.

Leona Lewis is the first UK female artist to top the U.S. charts in more than 20 years, since Kim Wilde's 1987 cover "You Keep Me Hangin On".

Anti-gay domestic partner bill dies in Kentucky senate: "The Kentucky Senate’s Health and Welfare Committee voted to defeat a bill yesterday that would have barred state universities and other public agencies from providing health coverage to employees’ domestic partners. Furthermore, committee member David Watkins (right) scolded the bill’s sponsor, Vernie McGaha, for introducing it, calling the legislation divisive and ignoring the state’s biggest health problems like smoking and obesity, according to The Courier Journal."

Sphere: Related Content

Or is Taschen Just Happy to See You?

Forget impressionism, modern architecture, or catalogs of English tea sets. Coffee table book purveyor Taschen puts out for the size queens this spring:

"This hefty book is profusely illustrated with over 400 historic photos of spectacular male endowments, including rare photos of the legendary John Holmes. The majority of the photographs are from the 1970s, when the sexual revolution first freed photographers to depict the male entirely nude. Photographers include Bob Mizer of Athletic Model Guild, David Hurles of Old Reliable, Colt, Falcon, Sierra Domino, Third World, and Champion Studios, with each of these iconic photographers interviewed or profiled, along with information about each of their models."

The engorged tome can be yours for a fat Amazon discount at just $37.79

Here's a preview (warning NSFW).
(via jockohomo)

Sphere: Related Content

Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced

Finalists have been announced for the 20th annual Lambda Literary Awards, which will be handed out in West Hollywood at the Pacific Design Center on May 29th.

Among the more than 100 nominees is Towleroad's Kevin Sessums, whose memoir Mississippi Sissy was nominated in the 'Men's Memoir/Biography' category. Kevin has been writing our theater reviews. His award is well-deserved. I'll take this opportunity to toot Kevin's horn a bit more - the book was also named one of the Amercian Library Association's four 'Stonewall Books' for 2007 and was named one of Amazon's Best Books of 2007. It's out in paperback tomorrow!

I interviewed him about the book back in March.

Congrats Kevin!

A full list of the Lambda Literary Award nominations, AFTER THE JUMP...

LGBT ANTHOLOGIES

* Juicy Mother 2, Jennifer Camper (Manic D Press)
* Vital Signs, Richard Canning (Carroll & Graf)
* First Person Queer, Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel (Arsenal Pulp Press)
* Men of Mystery: Homoerotic Tales of Intrigue and Suspense, Sean Meriwether & Greg Wharton, (Haworth)
* Baby Remember My Name, Michelle Tea (Carroll & Graf)

LGBT ARTS & CULTURE

* Media Queered, Kevin Barnhurst (Peter Lang Publishing)
* Art That Dares, Kittredge Cherry (AndroGyne Press)
* The View From Here, Matthew Hays (Arsenal Pulp Press)
* Feeling Backward, Heather Love (Harvard University Press)
* Other Men's Sons, Michael Rowe (Cormorant Books)

LGBT CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT

* Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, Peter Cameron (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
* Hero, Perry Moore (Hyperion)
* Saints of Augustine, P.E. Ryan (HarperTeen)
* Freak Show, James St. James (Dutton Children's/Penguin)
* Parrotfish, Ellen Wittlinger (Simon & Schuster)

LGBT DRAMA/THEATER

* Dose: Plays & Monologues, Dan Bernitt (Sawyer House)
* Niagara Falls, Victor Bumbalo (Broadway Play Publishing)
* Return of the Caffe Cino, edited by Steve Susoyev and
George Birimisa (Moving Finger Press)

LGBT EROTICA

* The Golden Age of Lesbian Erotica, Victoria Brownworth & Judith M. Redding (Magic Carpet Books)
* Red Light, J. D. Glass (Bold Strokes Books)
* Ardennian Boy, William Maltese & Wayne Gunn (MLR Press)
* The Mammoth Book of New Gay Erotica, Lawrence Schimel (Carrol & Graf)
* Homosex, Simon Sheppard (Running Press)
* Every Dark Desire, Fiona Zedde (Kensington)

LGBT NONFICTION

* Between Women, Sharon Marcus (Princeton University Press)
* Pink Harvest, Toni Mirosevich (Mid-List Press)
* Other Men's Sons, Michael Rowe (Cormorant Books)
* Gay Artists in Mondern American Culture, Michael S. Sherry (University of North Carolina Press)
* Imagining Transgender, David Valentine (Duke University Press)

LGBT POETRY

* Blackbird and Wolf, Henri Cole (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
* A Gathering of Matter/A Matter of Gathering, Dawn Lundy Martin (University of Georgia Press)
* Otherwise Obedient, Carol Potter (Red Hen Press)
* Fata Morgana, Reginald Shepherd (University of Pittsburgh)
* The Second Person, C. Dale Young (Four Way Books)
* Human Resources, Rachel Zolf (Coach House Books)

LGBT SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR

* Wicked Gentlemen, Ginn Hale (Blind Eye Books)
* A Companion to Wolves, Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear (Tor Books)
* Spaceman Blues: A Love Song, Brian Francis Slattery (Tor Books)
* The Dust of Wonderland, Lee Thomas (Alyson Books)
* Ha'penny, Jo Walton (Tor Books)

LGBT STUDIES

* Writing Desire, Bertram Cohler (University of Winsconsin Press)
* The First Man-Made Man, Pagan Kennedy (Bloomsbury)
* Between Women, Sharon Marcus (Princeton University Press)
* Caribbean Pleasure Industry, Mark Padilla (University of Chicago Press)
* Once You Go Black: Choice, Desire, & the Black American Intellectual, Robert Reid-Pharr (NYU Press)

BISEXUAL

* Look Both Ways, Jennifer Baumgardner (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)
* Becoming Visible, Beth Firestein, Ed., (Columbia University Press)
* Split Screen, Brett Hartinger (Harper Collins Children's Books)
* The Tourists, Jeff Hobbs (Simon & Schuster)
* Stray, Sheri Joseph (MacAdam/Cage)

TRANSGENDER

* Transparent, Cris Beam (Harcourt)
* Male Bodies, Women's Souls, LeeRay M. Costa, PhD, (Haworth)
* The Marrow's Telling, Eli Clare (Homofactus Press)
* What Becomes You, Aaron Raz Link & Hilda Raz (University of Nebraska Press)
* Nobody Passes, Mattilda, aka Matt Bernstein Sycamore (Seal Press)

LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION

* Lockjaw, Holly Farris (Gival Press)
* Dahlia Season, Myriam Gurba (Manic D Press)
* Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking, Aoibheann Sweeney (The Penguin Press)
* Breathing Underwater, Lu Vickers (Alyson Books)
* O Street, Corrina Wycoff (Other Voices)

GAY DEBUT FICTION

* Tales from the Town of Widows, James Canon (Harpercollins)
* A Push and a Shove, Christopher Kelly (Alyson Books)
* That Was Then, Michael Quadland (Red Hen Press)
* SoMa, Kemble Scott (Kensington)
* Freak Show, James St. James (Dutton Children's/Penguin)

WOMEN'S FICTION

* Biting the Apple, Lucy Jane Bledsoe (Carroll & Graf)
* The IHOP Papers, Ali Liebegott (Carroll & Graf)
* Greetings from Jamaica, Mari San Giovanni (Bywater Books)
* The Child, Sarah Schulman (Carroll & Graf)
* The Kind of Girl I Am, Julia Watts (Spinsters Ink)
* The Mandrake Broom, Jess Wells (Firebrand Books)

WOMEN'S ROMANCE

* Sheridan's Fate, Gun Brooke (Bold Strokes Books)
* The Road Home, Frankie J. Jones (Bella Books)
* Out of Love, K. G. MacGregor (Bella Books)
* For Now, for Always, Marianne K. Martin (Bywater Books)
* When Dreams Tremble, Radclyffe (Bold Strokes Books)

WOMEN'S MYSTERY

* Wall of Silence, 2nd Ed., Gabrielle Goldsby (Bold Strokes Books)
* Mortal Groove, Ellen Hart (St. Martin's Press)
* In the Name of the Father, Gerri Hill (Bella Books)
* Selective Memory, Jennifer L. Jordan (Spinsters Ink)
* Laura's War, Ursula Steck (Bella Books)

WOMEN'S MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

* Comfort Food for Breakups, Marusya Bocurkiuw (Arsenal Pulp Press)
* And Now We Are Going to Have a Party, Nicola Griffith (Payseur & Schmidt)
* An Army of Ex-Lovers, Amy Hoffman (University of Massachusetts Press)
* Two Lives: Gertrude & Alice, Janet Malcolm (Yale University Press)
* Waiting for the Call, Jaqueline Taylor (University of Michigan Press)

MEN's FICTION

* Call Me By Your Name, Andre Aciman (Farrar Straus Giroux)
* First Person Plural, Andrew W.M. Beierle (Kensington)
* Dark Reflections, Samuel R. Delany (Carroll & Graf)
* Fellow Travelers, Thomas Mallon (Pantheon)
* The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue, Manuel Munoz (Algonquin)

MEN's ROMANCE

* Changing Tides, Michael Thomas Ford (Kensington)
* A Secret Edge, Robin Reardon (Kensington)
* Right Side of the Wrong Bed, Frederick Smith (Kensington)
* Broadway Nights, Seth Rudetsky (Alyson Books)
* A Few Hints and Clews, Robert Taylor (Haworth)

MEN's MYSTERY

* Double Abduction, Chris Beakey (J. Boylston/ ibooks, Inc.)
* Stain of the Berry, Anthony Bidulka (Insomniac Press)
* Pierce, Roberto Ferrari (Haworth)
* Murder in the Rue Chartres, Greg Herren (Alyson Books)
* Mahu Surfer, Neil Plakcy (Alyson Books)
* Drag Queen in the Court of Death, Caro Soles (Haworth)

MEN'S MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

* Forgiving Troy, Thom Bierdz (Hudson House)
* Dog Years, Mark Doty (HarperCollins)
* The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein, Martin Duberman (Knopf)
* The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin's Theory, Kenny Fries (Perseus Books)
* What Becomes You, Aaron Raz Link & Hilda Raz (University of Nebraska Press)
* Mississippi Sissy, Kevin Sessums (St. Martin's Press)

Sphere: Related Content

Joy of Gay Sex Pulled from Shelf in Nampa, Idaho

No more Joy of Sex or Joy of Gay Sex for library visitors in Nampa, Idaho:

"Now after weeks of new debate – the books are off the shelves – but still available. The library board voted three to two to remove the books - but the books are not banned completely. The books will still be available upon request in the library director's office."

Although there may be a few sticky pages.

Sphere: Related Content

JK Rowling on Dumbledore: Homophobia is a Fear of People Loving

JK Rowling addressed Dumbledore's homosexuality in a recent interview with Scotland's Edinburgh University student paper. In the interview, Rowling says "So what?" to those who disagree with a gay character in a children's novel.

Says Rowling: "It is a very interesting question because I think homophobia is a fear of people loving, more than it is of the sexual act. There seems to be an innate distaste for the love involved, which I find absolutely extraordinary. There were people who thought, well why haven't we seen Dumbledore's angst about being gay? Where was that going to come in? And then the other thing was — and I had letters saying this — that, as a gay man, he would never be safe to teach in a school...He's a very old single man. You have to ask: why is it so interesting? People have to examine their own attitudes. It's a shade of character. Is it the most important thing about him? No, it's Dumbledore for God's sake. There are 20 things that are relevant to the story before his sexuality."

Previously
Harry Potter Does Drag for Manila Gay Bar [tr]
Daniel Radcliffe: Dumbledore "Camping it Up" on Harry Potter Set [tr]
O'Reilly Bothered That Dumbledore Outing Teaches Tolerance [tr]
Dad Becomes Instant Gay Pride Statement with Dumbledore Tattoo [tr]