News: Mariah Carey, Vermont, Darren Manzella, Dolce & Gabbana

New York City department of health eyes bathhouses after new report on increase in HIV infections in men under 30.

Scott Jordan, swimmer at conservative, religious St. Bonaventure University comes out to teammates: "'Scott, you're gonna get so much ass this year,' [one teammate] said to me. 'The girls are gonna be all over you.' I took the plunge. 'That’s not the kind of ass I’m looking for,' I replied...He didn’t believe me at first; In fact, most everyone I’ve come out to hasn’t believed I’m gay. But once he realized I wasn't joking around, I told him it wasn't a secret anymore. I told just three teammates that summer, purposely telling one teammate in particular because I knew he liked to gossip (yep, straight guys gossip too). As planned, gossip took care of the rest. When I got to school a month later it felt like the entire campus knew I was gay, and I had only told three people."

Mariah Carey squeals about possible duet with J Lo: "I'd rather be on stage with a pig."

Carson Kressley's How to Look Good Naked debuts higher than any other reality show in Lifetime's history.

Patrick Dempsey just stands there for Versace.

UK man convicted of two counts of assault for homophobic attack on straight teen in nightclub.

California fringe group grades GOP candidates on their support for the "natural family". Huckabee and Paul rate highest, Romney scores a "0".

Dolce & Gabbana lines 'em up for Fall/Winter campaign.

Swimsuit issue: Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson frolic in Hawaii.

Gay nightclub proposed in Madison, Wisconsin would be one of city's largest.

Philly anchorwoman Alycia Lane, suspended for calling a police officer "dyke bitch," was relieved of her duties: "'Alycia Lane "has been released from her contract effective immediately,' KYW-TV said in a statement Monday, the day she had been due back on air. Lane is accused of scuffling with a plainclothes female officer during a traffic dispute last month. A police complaint also said she used a sexual slur. Lane has denied the allegations. The 35-year-old newscaster previously found herself the target of critical news coverage, and snickers, after it was reported she had e-mailed bikini shots of herself to a married ESPN sports anchor and she tearfully discussed her divorce on the 'Dr. Phil" show.'"

EAT ME: Woman commissions wedding cake in her own image.

USA Today takes a look at "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" 60 Minutes Army Sergeant Darren Manzella: "Manzella says he was invited to join more than 600 members of an invitation-only MySpace group, Guys and Gals Like Us, for gays who don't hide their orientation from their units. The members use pseudonyms because some gay servicemembers have been discharged for acknowledging their sexual orientation elsewhere online. Nearly 12,000 troops have been dismissed under the policy approved by President Clinton in 1993. Discharges peaked at 1,273 in 2001 and have fallen sharply since the war began. 'A lot of servicemembers are getting 'wink-wink' treatment from their commanders,' says Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which studies the policy."

Last year we winner flattered to win Queerclick's Gay Bloggies - this year, Frank at OMG Blog took the prize. Congrats.

Gay-friendly gay bashed in Seattle.

Vermont opponents of same-sex marriage step up their efforts: "Several prominent opponents of gay marriage will announce at a Statehouse press conference Tuesday morning the formation of the Vermont Marriage Advisory Council, a group that will hold hearings on the benefits of traditional marriage. Stephen Cable of Rutland, the founder of the conservative group Vermont Renewal, said the formation of this traditional marriage council is in response to what he says is the pro-gay marriage leanings of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection. 'The council will be holding forums to delegate information on the social goods that come with the institution of marriage,' Cable said Monday afternoon. 'After that, the council will open up the microphone to hear from Vermonters.'"

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #205

BRAD PITT: Rebuilding New Orleans one house at a time.

CARSON KRESSLEY: He recently led a 100 Elf March for TJ Maxx.

NICK CLARK-SPEAR: A Towleroad reader sent me this bit of holiday cheer, direct from his bathroom. I consider him a gift.

RESCUE THE CONSTITUTION: FOX is refusing to run this ad, voiced by Danny Glover. According to Think Progess, the network wants 'documentation' that the constitution 'is indeed being destroyed.'"

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

New: Staph Threat, George Lucas, Lance Bass, New York City Taxis

Lesbian mom says daughter now goes to school with bodyguard because of bullying: "Virginia Gaffey says that her 9-year-old daughter was physically assaulted by other students on the playground at Tucker Elementary in Milton. She claims that the reason was because she is a gay mother."

Lance Bass tells GQ that Britney Spears was surprised when he came out to her: "It was the night of her first wedding, actually. I was in Vegas with her, her dancers, her manager, and my boyfriend at the time . . . Her manager had already gotten rid of [her first husband] Jason [Alexander] - they'd flown him home. Britney was upset about what she had done. I felt bad for her. I knew she was about to go through a lot of crap. I felt the need to share something. So I sat her on my bed, and I'm like, Well, I'm gay!"

Istanbul attempts to shut down gay rights organization: "The Governor's Office of Istanbul has demanded the closure of Lambda Istanbul, an organization defending lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people's rights in Turkey, claiming that the name and objectives of the group are 'against the law and morality'. The governor had asked in early 2007 that the group be shut down; in July, the local Prosecutor's Office rejected the complaint. The Governor's Office then took the case to a higher court, the Beyoglu Sutluce Court of First Instance No. 5, which heard the case in July 2007 and ordered a second hearing for October."

D.C. police chief sends out directive to department on treating transgender people with respect.

NYC taxis get new logo treatment.

George Lucas plotting Star Wars TV series: "There is a caveat, though: The proposed series doesn't have anyone named Luke or Anakin in it, a story path that Lucas concedes is 'taking chances' as far as connecting with an audience expecting the familiar mythology. 'The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters,' Lucas said in an interview. 'It has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or any of those people. It's completely different. But it's a good idea, and it's going to be a lot of fun to do.'"

Bravo Workout trainer Brian Peeler flexes his muscles.

Young gay Iranian on the run may soon be back in the UK.

Staph bacteria causing more American deaths each year than the AIDS virus: "The microbe, a strain of a once innocuous staph bacterium that has become invulnerable to first-line antibiotics, is responsible for more than 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated. Although mounting evidence shows that the infection is becoming more common, the estimate published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association is the first national assessment of the toll from the insidious pathogen, officials said. 'This is a significant public health problem. We should be very worried,' said Scott K. Fridkin, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC."

Carson Kressley getting new reality show: "Called Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, the show will have eight episodes, and will focus on mother and daughter pairs who want to compete in both the Miss and Mrs. USA Pageant. The pairs will all be living together in a house in L.A., and will undergo weekly 'de-sashing' ceremonies."

Oz Tribunal: Host Has Right to Call Carson Kressley 'Pillow Biter'

Hate speech against gays is becoming a focus worldwide. An Australian tribunal has ruled against gay rights activist Gary Burns in his complaint that radio host John Laws vilified gay people when he called Queer Eye fashion maven Carson Kressley a "pillow biter", among other things, during a show in 2004.

Said the court: "We rule unanimously that the statements that Mr Laws made on the relevant broadcast constituted homosexual vilification, because they incited severe ridicule of homosexual men on the ground of their homosexuality...By majority, we rule further, however, that his publication of these statements on the radio fell within an exception established by the (Anti-Discrimination) Act that is designed, within appropriate limits, to preserve freedom of expression....Our majority decision is accordingly that the publication was lawful."

Laws made the comments after seeing Kressley on television when he was in the country for the Melbourne Cup (see photo). Here are a few excerpts of what Laws said during that show...

“it’s not often that I get really worried about this country, but I tell you what, I had a sleepless night last night… Who is this pompous little pansy prig who’s strutting around everywhere yesterday, telling Australian blokes how to wear their pocket square? As he called it. That’s poof speak for handkerchief … Who is he? He might be famous in certain circles, circles being the operative word, we know where they are.”

“What the hell does a pillow biter know about judging girls? They should have had a few truckies down there, or me… Fair-dinkum Aussie blokes judging fair-dinkum Aussie girls. Not this pompous little pansy.”

Following the judge's ruling, Burns said: I took this action because I believe it's important to stand up and erase hate in society. It's about standing up against bullies. I didn't win on this occasion, but I will continue in my mission to dissuade hate in society."

Laws beats 'pillow biter' complaint [tr]
Pillow Biter For The Straight Guy [samesame]