Strange Bedfellows

The two Senate sponsors of the federal Marriage Protection Amendment—whoremonger (literally) David Vitter and restless-leg sin drone Larry Craig—are skewered in mock ads over at Patriot Boy. Vitter is AFTER THE JUMP.

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News: Larry Craig, Big Bird, Al Sharpton, Gun Ruling, Vogue

No joke: Larry Craig and David Vitter key sponsors of Marriage Protection Amendment.

Never-before-seen photos of David Bowie revealed.

Guy "Richie" stands to gain $100 million:
No pre-nup in Madonna marriage.

Al Sharpton told Gay City News that his statement about sin to Anderson Cooper earlier this week was not aimed at Anderson but was hypothetical: "I have no idea of his sexuality. I was not talking about him as an individual anyway. It could have been anybody...I support same-sex marriage and have been lambasted by the right for it."

HIV cases "skyrocket" among young gay men: "A new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that between 2001 and 2006 gay male sex was the largest HIV transmission category in the U.S. and also the only one which recorded an increasing number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses. The most affected are gay boys and men between the ages of 13 and 24 years, with minorities even more. The findings were released in this week's issue of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Other factors such as genital herpes could actually double a person’s risk for contracting HIV."

Beckham blogs about bulge.

NewNowNext covers New York's HX Awards.

Prince Harry discovers source of global warming at County Fair.

Miami lesbian suing South Florida hospital because she wasn't allowed to see her partner who had suffered a stroke. Her partner later died: "Janice Langbehn, Lisa Marie Pond and three of their four children planned a cruise in February 2007 to celebrate the couple's 18 years together. But Pond suffered a massive stroke before the ship left port and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Hospital workers refused to let Langbehn into Pond's hospital room - even after a power of attorney was faxed to the hospital -- because they were not legally related. Langbehn filed a federal lawsuit in Miami on Wednesday charging hospital employees with negligence and "intentional infliction of emotional distress." The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000. Pond was pronounced dead of a brain aneurysm about 18 hours after being admitted to the trauma center. Langbehn said she was only allowed in to see her partner for a few minutes when a priest gave Pond the last rites."

Bishop Gene Robinson and Sir Ian McKellen to make joint appearance at screening of For the Bible Tells Me So in London...

Gay creator of Big Bird costume, Kermit Love, dies at 91.

More from the set of Gossip Girl...

Log Cabin Republicans applaud Supreme Court gun ruling.

Juice: The background on bigot Bolthouse and Bolthouse farms.

London police hunt "thug" after homophobic attack: "Sahin Rahman is one of four thugs sentenced this week following the attack at Hackney-road, Bethnal Green, in London's East End, two years ago. Police say Rahman (pictured), who had been living in Mckenzie-road in Holloway, north London, is currently at large after failing to appear at Snaresbrook crown court on June 16 and remains wanted. His accomplices, all from Holloway, have appeared in court."

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will reportedly be married at Palm Springs' Riviera Resort and Spa in October.

Real Vogue interns tell New York magazine that their internships were nothing like New York Ranger Sean Avery's: "Sean Avery eats enormous lunches in the cafeteria and gets away with spilling them on people. Elizabeth: 'I never got lunch. I didn't get lunch breaks. We had to eat in the closet.' Ashley: 'I was able to get lunch. It was like, very quick, go down get your lunch, eat it, and come back up. There was a sense of having to get permission for a lot of things. I don't remember if we had to tell them we were going to the bathroom, but that could've been possible.'"

Self-described YouTube superstar Tricia Walsh-Smith and estranged husband Phillip Smith meet in court: "I will cut your balls off and have them for breakfast."

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Senator Larry Craig Offers Support to Senator David Vitter

Republican Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who has been called on to testify in the D.C. Madam case, is being urged by Idaho Senator Larry Craig not to resign, but to continue to operate by going into an obscene state of denial if he happens to see himself on the television news:

Said Craig: "First and foremost, in these kinds of issues, it’s the state and the relationship you have with your state that really determines where you ought to go. That was certainly my case. The Senate itself wasn’t going to judge me. I would allow the citizens of my state to do so. And there is still strong support there...My story became a situation where my wife and I watched it almost as if it were caricatures out there being talked about. It certainly wasn’t me, but that was quite typical in a 24/7 news cycle like we have today."

The Louisiana Democratic party has called for Vitter's resignation, but Vitter himself has chosen to remain quite silent on his connection with the prostitution ring.

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NGLTF to Senate Ethics Committee: Larry Craig Probe Homophobic

According to The Hill, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today will deliver a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer and Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican vice chairman of the ethics panel, claiming that the committee has singled out Craig for investigation because his behavior is homosexual while ignoring equally repugnant behavior by heterosexual Senator David Vitter of Louisiana.

Vitter's name was found in the records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the D.C. Madam, and since then, according to The Hill, "allegations have surfaced that Vitter consorted with prostitutes in New Orleans. Jeanette Maier, who was convicted in 2002 for running a brothel, has claimed Vitter was a client." Vitter has been an outspoken defender of "the sanctity of marriage".

An ethics probe of Vitter has yet to be launched. The Hill says that the NGLTF sees it as evidence of a "witch hunt motivated by the homophobia of GOP Senate leaders." The group is demanding a response.

The letter from NGLTF vice chairman Matt Foreman is scheduled to be delivered today and reads, in part: “We are writing to state the inherent contradiction between your treatment of allegations of ethical misconduct by Senator Larry Craig and Senator David Vitter and to insist that you open an investigation into Sen. Vitter’s conduct. There is no explanation for the diametrically opposed responses to these two situations, other than hypocrisy tinged by homophobia. There are only two ways to resolve this: drop the investigation into Sen. Craig or investigate the allegations surrounding Sen. Vitter."

The Hill notes that although there has been no investigation of Vitter he did receive a standing ovation from the Senate Republican Conference after apologizing for the DC Madam allegations.

Groups press ethics panel on Sen. Craig [the hill]

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News: Amy Winehouse, David Vitter, Tooth X-Ray, Roger Mahony

A biting pain: X-Ray reveals that a rugby player's incessant headaches were caused by an opponent's tooth which was lodged in his forehead.

Didn't get to this yesterday, but over the weekend the NYT published a look at the rural retreat of political strategist David Mixner: "Inside, the cheerful rooms are filled with artwork and memorabilia, including antiwar posters and newspaper clippings. One sculpture consists of the faces of friends who died of AIDS, molded in Lucite and lighted from behind with neon. He never turns it off. 'It’s my eternal flame,' he said. His other eternal flame is the computer screen. Mr. Mixner’s main activity these days is blogging — his site, davidmixner.com, offers a mix of political discourse, arts criticism and folksy commentary on day-to-day life in Turkey Hollow. 'People will stop me on the street in New York and ask me about Attila and Kate,' he said, referring to the deer mentioned in many of his postings. Not that he has forgotten about politics. 'I have more political influence here than I did living in the city,' he said."

Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Amy Winehouse, Maps among those on shortlist for Britain's Mercury Music Prize.

Britney Spears inspires melee at Le Deux nightclub in Hollywood: "A girl was heard screaming and calling Britney a 'whore' and telling Britney to 'go back home to her babies.' This, in fact, actually upset a ton of people! A bunch of girls started attacking this girl and they actually pulled her weave out! Me and my friends were soooo scared man!"

Surreal: Rue McClanahan, Jeff Stryker, Bruce Vilanch, and Seattle drag queen Dina Martina performed a scene from Gone with the Wind last night at Ryan Landry's legendary variety revue Showgirls in Provincetown. Can we get a video please???

Elton John to build massive gallery at his British estate to house the more than 2,500 works of art in his collection.

Aaron Eckhart on his revelation about gay people: "I’ll always remember. I was working in a restaurant in California with a guy who was gay, and I asked him, 'What do you feel when you look at a guy?' And he said, 'Well, Aaron, what do you feel when you look at that girl over there, and she’s beautiful and you really want to be with her?' That’s when I got it: It’s the same thing."

Kenneth Walsh pages through the latest issue of L'Officiel Hommes.

Landmark gay rights case underway in Canada: "The controversy stems from a letter written by Boissoin, then a Red Deer youth pastor, that was published in the Red Deer Advocate in June 2002. In it, Boissoin wrote 'my banner has now been raised and war has been declared' against those who are part of the 'homosexual machine.' 'From kindergarten class on, our children, your grandchildren are being strategically targeted, psychologically abused and brainwashed by homosexual and pro-homosexual educators,' he wrote. 'Your children are being warped into believing that same-sex families are acceptable; that kissing men is appropriate.' Boissoin went on to attack gay activists as 'spreading their psychological disease,' saying they were 'just as immoral as the pedophiles, drug dealers and pimps that plague our communities.' 'Where homosexuality flourishes, all manner of wickedness abounds,' he wrote."

"Pro-family" Republican Senator David Vitter, who was discovered to be a client of the 'D.C. Madam', apologizes, saying he never had relationships with prostitutes.

Following $660 million settlement, Cardinal Roger Mahony apologizes to sex abuse victims: "There really is no way to go back and give them that innocence that was taken from them. The one thing I wish I could give the victims ... I cannot."

The Killers' Brandon Flowers has a son.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #153

JAKE GYLLENHAAL: His appearance with Rufus Wainwright in San Francisco I posted about in June, reciting the spoken word portion of "Between My Legs".

VICTORIA BECKHAM: Her interview on the Today show.

10 STEPS: How to seduce a straight jock in ten steps, from Race You to the Bottom which is released on DVD tomorrow.

DAVID VITTER'S PENIS: A mock campaign to save the "pro-family" cheating Senator's manhood from his wife, who has said she would pull a Lorena Bobbitt if her husband ever did anything like that. Backstory...

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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GOP 'Protector' of Marriage David Vitter Found on DC Madam's List

Another "marriage protecting" hypocrite exposed.

After the posting of 13 years of records by Deborah Jeane Palfrey (aka the "D.C. Madam") which revealed the name of Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter, Vitter has issued a statement apologizing:

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there — with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."

Think Progress notes that in 2005, Vitter promoted his platform "protecting the sanctity of marriage":

"This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history, and our two U.S. Senators won’t do anything about it. We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts’s values. I am the only Senate Candidate to coauthor the Federal Marriage Amendment; the only one fighting for its passage. I am the only candidate proposing changes to the senate rules to stop liberal obstructionists from preventing an up or down vote on issues like this, judges, energy, and on and on."

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