News: Tom Cruise, El Paso, Rosie O'Donnell, Brazil, Ryan White

USA Today: Rosie O'Donnell confirms split with partner Kelli Carpenter. "We're a family. We will remain a family forever. And we are working on our issues."

Do Começo Ao Fim: Controversial film about brothers who are also lovers to debut in Brazil.

Bronson Pinchot on working with Tom Cruise in Risky Business: "We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth. He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, 'You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?' I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, 'It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.' Very, very strange."

White House supports Ryan White Reauthorization Act.

Unfriendly Fire author Nathaniel Frank takes apart an article by James Bowman in the Weekly Standard with a point-by-point rebuttal of Bowman's theories — "that what motivates 18-year-olds in 21st-century America to fight wars is a particular conception of honor; that that honor is defined by having an exclusively male, heterosexual identity; and by the further belief that a straight man's honor relies on not having gay peers."

Bigots of a feather flock together.

Toronto gets a gander of Ryan Gosling.

The face of Jesus has been spotted on the door of a toilet at Ikea Glasgow: "A bearded face, with long flowing hair, is plainly visible on the wooden door of the men's toilet in the Braehead outlet of the Swedish furniture and meatballs giant."

Equality Florida endorses Dan Gelber for Attorney General. "Our community has two friends in the Democratic Primary race for Attorney General, however Dan Gelber stands apart as someone who has used his political capital to truly lead on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues."

Anti-discrimination ordinance makes first appearance at Salt Lake City Council — public hearing scheduled for November 10.

Homophobic slapper has day in UK court.

Bobby Brown suggests Whitney Houston is a lesbian in new book.

A new Twilight clip with lots of fangs, shirtlessness, drool, and growling.

Saturn at equinox...

Man's genitals bitten in alleged gay sex assault in Taipei.

LaToya Jackson fears for her life, tabs say: "La Toya is convinced someone paid Michael's personal physician, Conrad Murray, to kill him because they stood to gain up to $1 billion from his death. She is convinced they killed her brother and wouldn't hesitate for a moment to kill her as well."

Met: Homophobic crimes up in London.

Adam Shankman to co-produce Oscars with former Fox film chief Bill Mechanic. Shankman: "The last time I was on the show was as a dancer, and to come back as a producer is such an unbelievable honor."

Police in El Paso, Texas finish special training as result of Chico's Tacos gay kiss ejection: "All 1,100 city police officers have completed special training to make sure they know the law when it comes to dealing with gays and public places. The sessions were part of the fallout from a security guard ejecting five gay men from a Chico's Tacos restaurant after two of them kissed. Chico's owner later said his staff kicked out the men because they were being disruptive, not because of the kiss."

News: Dwan Prince, Puerto Vallarta, Attack Dogs, Brian Boitano

Former Republican staffer Jason Wetherington, who boasted about sleeping with Florida governor Charlie Crist, charged with grand larceny, dealing in stolen property, and false verification of ownership after theft of engagement and wedding rings from pastor's daughter.

It would be very cool to witness the annual sardine migration in the Philippines.

Candy Bra: Loco Mama has a hit on her hands..

Dwan Prince, victim of brutal 2005 anti-gay assault in NYC, claims changed sexual orientation and writes letter to attacker in prison, taking blame for the attack.

Gay bashing case in Utah delayed after victims fail to show in court...

Brian Boitano does not want to be perceived as gay.

Marietta, Georgia columnist suggests setting attack dogs on men cruising in public parks: "With a little instruction, dogs could be taught to severely dislike the gay lovers in Burruss and Wildwood and bite them in the fanny and do what City Council should have done years ago - chase them off to Atlanta where they belong."

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweets.

Jennifer Hudson is a mother.

Teen claims gay panic in Puerto Vallarta murder: "According to published reports in the Mexican media, the body of the victim, Sergio Daniel Baltasar Guerra, was found  early Sunday morning, August 9, near the seahorse statue, on Los Muertos beach, just south of the gay Blue Chairs section of that beach.  The victim was between 25-30 years old and had been a manager at a local supermarket."

Brokeback Mountain shirts featured in Western pop culture exhibit at L.A. Autry museum.

News flash: gaydar tougher to use than you think.

Closet still familiar to many in the Philippines and Malta.

CIRCUS: Crazy claims she's the mother of all three of Michael Jackson's children, and that she and MJ are the biological parents of Tom Cruise's child, Connor Cruise.

Milo Ventimiglia is in a jam.

Despite resolution from the American Psychological Association, "ex-gay" therapy continues in El Paso, Texas.

Facial asymmetry in men linked to greater risk for dementia?

Portland Mayor Sam Adams recall campaign faces challenge: "With another 56 days to go, they’ll have to gather 786 signatures per day in order to meet their goal of 50,000. So far, they've been operating with an average of 176 signatures a day, according to our calculations. They now need to increase their rate of collection by a whopping 345 percent to meet the deadline."

Justin Timberlake to release his own scent.

ACLU reaches settlement with Yulee High School in Florida over Gay-Straight Alliance: "Earlier this year, the ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of a student who was denied a request to form the GSA at Yulee Middle School and Yulee High School the following year. As part of the agreement, the district must prohibit any discrimination against the club and the students and faculty members associated with it.The district must also allow the club to meet on campus and to use the name Gay-Straight Alliance.The district has also been ordered to pay $40,000 in court costs associated with the case."

El Paso Resident Refuses to Stand Silent Against Preachers of Hate

A plan by the city of El Paso, Texas to extend domestic partner benefits to gay and unmarried heterosexual partners of city employees was the centerpiece of a contentious City Council meeting on Tuesday night attended by "25 pastors, churchgoers and self-described 'angry citizens'", according to the El Paso Times:

"Opponents of the plan, many quoting the Bible, spoke during the public portion of Tuesday's council meeting. Most said the council's plan to extend domestic partner benefits to city workers did not reflect the views of mainstream El Pasoans. 'You're opening up a Pandora's box,' said Tom Brown, pastor of Word of Life Church. Council members last week voted 6-1, with Carl L. Robinson dissenting, to include the benefits in the new city budget. Final approval of the spending plan is scheduled for a vote Aug. 25."

Gays and lesbians and those who voted for the measure did have one vocal defender in resident Lisa Turner, who gave an impassioned speech at the microphone calling out the "preachers of hate" while many laughed at her.

Said Turner: "Their parishioners, these are the people who teach their kids, and teach ... (pauses) I'm sorry, I'm getting emotional. These are the people in their church who say it's wrong and they teach this ... this is why an 11-year-old goes and hangs himself, because the children of these ministers and people who go to the church have berated this child, because he's perceived to be different, he's perceived to be gay, and there's so much pressure the child hangs himself. And he's 11-years old. You tell me where in your Bible that's OK. It's not."

Watch it (and read the transcript) HERE. More videos here.

News: Rupert Everett, Soldier, Chimp AIDS, Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's prosthetic nose missing at morgue...

Scientists find monster black hole at center of galaxy: "The picture shows a fiery ring around the black hole which is packed with brightly-burning newborn stars."

Rupert Everett loses job over his nasty mouth.

Straw poll of gay leaders wants Prop 8 overturn on ballot in 2010. Donors, political consultants caution...

17 percent of gay men in Chicago are HIV-positive, half don't know it: "Health officials also say although black men who have sex with other men have double the HIV infection rates of white and Hispanic men. Public Health Department assistant commissioner Christopher Brown says it isn't known why black men are disproportionately affected by HIV. He said the health department is working with social service groups to expand testing and increase contact with the city's gay and bisexual population."

Circumstantial homosexuality in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes?

British Army magazine Soldier puts openly gay servicemember on cover for the first time: "British servicemen and women now march at Gay Pride in uniform, all three services have become Stonewall diversity champions and a few months ago the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt made history when he became the first army chief to address a Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender conference. 'Respect for others is not an optional extra,' he said."

Broadway performer Nick Adams denied entrance to Turtle Bay bar on the east side of Manhattan because he's gay.

Petition asking Mormon Church to reconsider its anti-gay positions grows...

Project Runway designer Jack Mackenroth medals at the 2009 Outgames in Copenhagen.

Drag queen bingo wars in Seattle.

Rep. Jared Polis appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy's supervisory board raises eyebrows: "Polis opposes the military's ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers and has twice proposed, then withdrawn, amendments to undo 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policies. Polis' appointment, made by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has veterans on both sides of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' debate wondering if it's a signal change is coming. 'We're all reading the tea leaves here,' said Tricia Heller, a Class of '87 Air Force Academy graduate who flew C-9 jets for the Air Force before the leaving the service four years ago and coming out."

Jake Gyllenhaal: New Prince of Persia stills.

Scientists: Chimpanzees with AIDS-like disease inspire hope for vaccine .

Inner Light: Gay pastor offers Black gays and lesbians a spiritual sanctuary in Washington D.C.

Michael Keaton to be the voice of Ken doll.

El Paso City Council passes anti-discrimination resolution as a result of Chico's Tacos kiss incident.

Male model fix: Ambrose Olsen.

True Blood cast visits Comic-Con.

iPhone App developer claims Apple double standard for approving gay iPhone apps: "Terry Ray claims that his iGaydar title was rejected from the App Store on the same day as Bruno -- an app based on the Sacha Baron Cohen movie -- was approved. iGaydar was rejected for "objectionable content," despite being considerably less graphic than the Bruno app, according to Ray. iGaydar pretends to detect a person's sexuality, first displaying a random percentage and then announcing a tongue-in-cheek statement, such as "Honey, not even your priorities are straight." By contrast the Bruno app lets users undress Cohen's character, and touch various body parts which can elicit potentially offensive responses."

News: Meteorite, Harry Jackson, D.C. Aide's Death, Mark Wahlberg

60 people attend 25th annual memorial service for Charlie Howard in Maine: "Howard, who could not swim, was killed on July 7, 1984, when three teenage boys tossed him into Kenduskeag Stream from the State Street bridge. He was 23."

Michael Jackson's "ghost" spotted on hood of car.

Whitney Houston looking fine.

Marion Barry blames current ethics investigations on gay councilman David Catania: "Barry, a longtime supporter of LGBT rights in D.C., has cited dischord between the LGBT community and African-American religious leaders for his current stance on marriage equality.  New ethics questions have surfaced about Barry’s role in administering grant money authorized by the city council."

You look better with your shirt off: Madonna single "Celebrate" to go to radio August 3.

Madge steps out with Jesus Luz, Dolce and Gabbana in Milan.

NYU Law dean Richard Revesz defends invitation to homophobic visiting Singaporean law professor Li-ann Thio. You may remember her from this post.

Portland police accused of failing to protect gays and lesbians from homophobic attacks at city's Pride festival: "According to police reports, videos and eyewitness accounts, the trouble that started late on the night of June 13 outside a bar in Portland's Old Town included fistfights and several obscenity-laden shouting matches."

Marky Mark returns to the ring.

Ian Thorpe turns to boxing?

Kathy Griffin to host Schmemmys.

Bishop Harry Jackson and gang write open letter to Obama: Pissed about cases against DOMA, cocktail party for gays.

A look inside Mika's new album, We Are Golden.

Sun warnings "overstated" in skin cancer risk?

Florida's New Times looks into the case of Carol Anne Burger, the Florida gay rights activist who stabbed her lover Jessica Kalish to death with a screwdriver, 222 times.

Gay D.C. Council aide Desi Deschaine drowns in Baltimore: "Deschaine, the communications director for D.C. Council member Jack Evans, died in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area after a weekend boating trip. His body was recovered Tuesday morning. A source said Deschaine left a private boat owned by his boyfriend, J'aime Huret, after docking Sunday night to take a walk. Deschaine never returned, and authorities believe he fell off a dock into the water."

Gays in El Paso, Texas want new training for police following Chico's Tacos kiss incident.

Brüno banned in Ukraine: "The ministry said Wednesday that Cohen's depictions of sexual organs, homosexual intercourse and language are obscene and improper."

Brazil's Jonatas Faro.

Meteorite found on country walk to be auctioned, expected to fetch £90,000.

Ring of roses: David Beckham adds to collection of tattoos.

Rapper Noriega: There are gays all over Hip-Hop.

Grassroots campaign to recall Portland Mayor Sam Adams gets its first high-profile suppporter in the form of former mayor Tom Potter: "Potter made his backing known in a comment he left over the weekend on his wife's Facebook page. Potter's wife, Karin Hansen, posted a status update on her page saying she has petitions for the recall and directing people to a site where they can join the effort."

Hugh Jackman takes on new role as Avon man.

The new season of HGTV's Design Star features two gay designers, Jason Champion and Nathan Galui.

Witnesses to murder recant statements in Lateisha Green murder trial: "Two prosecution witnesses who told police they saw an accused 20-year-old man kill a transgendered woman recanted their statements on the witness stand Tuesday. Siblings Johnny and Jasmine Gaston testified that investigators told them what to say about the shooting of 22-year-old Lateisha Green at a Syracuse house party last November."

Protests Over Gay Kiss Ejection Held in El Paso, Texas

A series of protests occurred late Friday outside Chico's Tacos in El Paso, Texas after news surfaced late last week that two men had been ejected for kissing there:

"About 100 people picketed in front of the Chico's on Montwood, where they hoisted signs that read, 'El Paso is Diversity,' 'What About Our 1st Amendment Rights?' and '...With Liberty and Justice For All.' Protesters lined both sides of the street outside the restaurant, chanted and urged motorists to honk in support. Carlos Diaz de Leon, one of the five men and a leader in the protest, claims that about 12:30 a.m. June 29 he and four others were at Chico's when two of his friends kissed, prompting a private security guard to use an anti-gay slur in Spanish and to call police, who cited a statute on homosexual conduct declared unconstitutional six years ago. The five men are taking steps in possibly mounting a legal challenge against the restaurant, All American International Security and the city of El Paso."

A couple of brief clips of the protests, AFTER THE JUMP....