Lutheran Boys Do Their Own Miley Cyrus Fire Island Party Video

Some (str8?) students at Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska were so enamored with the Fire Island gays' tribute to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA", they made their own.

Must be some of those liberal Lutherans.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Fire Damages Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove, Fire Island

A fire completely burned down the north end of the Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove, Fire Island early Tuesday morning, according to several reports coming in from around the web.

EDGE reports: "The blaze broke out inside a housekeeping shed along the north side of the two story Grove Hotel around 2 a.m. Firefighters from Cherry Grove, the Fire Island Pines, Point O’ Woods, Ocean Bay Park, Ocean Beach, Saltaire and Sayville responded to the scene. The four people inside the hotel evacuated safely, but Ocean Beach firefighter Ian Levine said the thick smoke made it difficult to find the fire’s source."

According to EDGE, "a second fire broke out in a trash can on Gerard Walk shortly before the blaze erupted at the Grove Hotel," however, "nothing indicates the two fires are related."

The hotel was scheduled to close for the season in a week.

Cherry Grove is one of two gay communities on the long barrier island of Fire Island. The other is Fire Island Pines, where a fire earlier this season burned two homes to the ground.

(photos jim kelly)

(via joe.my.god)

Fire Island Gays Get the Attention of Miley Cyrus with 'Party' Video

A lip-sync video made by a group of gay men on Fire Island to the Miley Cyrus track "Party in the USA" has grabbed the singer's attention.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Caster Semenya, Lockerbie, Ted Kennedy, Shark, Marc Jacobs

Lockerbie bomber freed...

Terminally-ill Ted Kennedy wants his replacement chosen swiftly. Deval Patrick: "It’s typical of Ted Kennedy to be thinking ahead and about the people of Massachusetts, when the rest of us are thinking about him."

New 800m World Champion Caster Semenya asked to take gender test: "The South African athletics federation insist it is "completely sure" that the 18-year-old Semenya is a female. 'We would not have entered her in the female competition if we had any doubts,' said a statement. Semenya won World Championship gold in impressive fashion on Wednesday."

Revolutionary pair of pants makes your ass wink.

Domestic partner registry in Nevada to begin next week.

Tom Ford's A Single Man vies with 13 other films for Queer Lion prize at Venice Film Festival.

Gay and lesbian residents of NYC apartment building file discrimination lawsuit: "Tensions boiled over when a flyer Uhrin had distributed in January 2004 about the repairs was taped to his door with the word 'fags' written on it, Uhrin said. 'It's like being raped,' said Uhrin, who claims he's been called homophobic slurs by former board members and heard his floor referred to as the 'AIDS floor.'"

First look at Madonna's "celebration" promo.

Oprah to kick off 24th season with Whitney Houston.

Fired Miami newsman Charles Perez wins two-year restraining order against ex-partner believed to have leaked an email which was intended to hurt him professionally.

TIME: Why does Obama keep flip-flopping on gay marriage?

Ryan Gosling out and about but refuses to show off the guns.

Great White Shark attack on seal observed by kayakers off Chatham, Cape Cod.

Police promise to uphold order during Belgrade Pride parade in September: "In this country, no one is allowed to threaten or bother anyone."

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone to wed this weekend in Provincetown.

Justin Timberlake refused to be on the D List.

Swimmers to take on 3 1/2 mile bay between Sayville and Fire Island Pines for Stonewall Foundation benefit.

New app: Browse the photos on your home computer from your iPhone.

The latest on gay One Life to Live cop Scott Evans.

Michael Moore to the Hollywood Reporter: "I'm still in a stupor of stunned ecstasy that Obama won. And I approve of most everything he's done, from apologizing to the Iranians for America overthrowing their democratically elected president in 1953 to appointing Kumar to a White House position. He is doing the best he can with the mess he inherited, and I and millions of others are counting on him never to forget that he came from the working class and that his people need him now more than ever. As for the congressional Democrats, what a bunch of losers -- weak, scared, stupid. They had better get a clue pretty quick or the Dark Forces will return."

News: Centipede, T.R. Knight, Bears, Anthony Woods, Romania

Fire Island swim to benefit NYC's Stonewall foundation: open water swim from Sayville to Fire Island Pines.

T.R. Knight discusses why he left Grey's Anatomy: "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about my character George]."

A Centipede may get custody of Michael Jackson's children.

Analysis and clips from Obama's primetime health care press conference.

It's A Bear's Life: magazine makes move to web TV.

Fort Worth police officer in Rainbow Lounge raid's troubled past: "Ricks was disciplined on multiple occasions in 2006, including following his arrest for punching a bus driver in New Braunfels. The assault charge in that case was later dropped, but the incident raised serious concerns among Ricks' supervisors."

Lifetime to run All-Star challenge featuring eight former designers in conjunction with debut of new season of Project Runway. Here's who's participating.

YouTube removes musician Calvin Harris' own video from his YouTube page over copyright infringement.

San Jose, California's Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center in danger of closing, needs $50,000.

Gay Iraq war veteran Anthony Woods, who is running for Ellen Tauscher's seat in Congress, gets an endorsement form HRC and The Victory Fund: "Woods, who is openly gay, was awarded the Bronze Star for his two tours in Iraq before being discharged from the Army because of his sexual orientation.  He graduated from West Point and earned his masters degree at Harvard University."

Mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, NJ and a state assemblyman arrested in broad corruption and international money-laundering probe.

DC resident organizes fundraisers in support of Helem, a non-profit LGBT organization in Lebanon that is aiding LGBT Iraqi refugees.

The Australian Senate is doing an inquiry into marriage equality and want submissions from people affected by it.

Hong Kong hotel launches all-male floor.

Pat Robertson on the Episcopal Church: "They have lost their way. They were taken over by this controversy having to do with same-sex marriage and the ordination of homosexual bishops. Once they got into that morass and lost their way from scriptural teaching, they didn't have much denomination left... And there will be no tears in my life if the Episcopal Church of America just quietly goes out of business."

Twilighters arrive at Comic-Con.

Samuel M. Steward, remembered.

Romania bans same-sex marriage. U.S. anti-gay group Alliance Defense Fund claims influence: "Alliance Defense Fund played a prominent role in assisting supporters in the Romanian parliament. 'Through Peter Costea, who is one of our allied attorneys and the head of Alliance for Romanian Families, who's been doing excellent work in Romania, got these provisions enacted in the law,' Kiska points out, 'and we're just happy to see in Europe these types of protections being afforded to marriage.' Kiska concludes that Romania has a strong history of supporting traditional marriage, as do most European nations. Romania's new civil code will take effect January 1, 2010.

NYC Man Drowns off Cherry Grove, Fire Island

Rahul Bhola, 22, of Flushing, Queens, drowned on Saturday off Cherry Grove, Fire Island (a popular gay resort area off Long Island in New York), Newsday reports:

"[Bhola] was swimming near Cherry Grove at 5 p.m. Saturday when he was pulled away from shore by a strong current, Suffolk Police said. There were no lifeguards in the area and it is not known if Bhola could swim, police said. A man Bhola had been swimming with unsuccessfully attempted to save him. A search team was organized by lifeguards from Sailors Haven, a community about half a mile away, and members of the Cherry Grove Fire Department."

Bhola was airlifted to a hospital on Long Island where he was pronounced dead.

A Towleroad reader writes: "I was right there on the beach and noticed what was going on when everyone was standing on the dune looking into the ocean – I think they were looking because everyone else was...The life guards were called and they ran went into the water, but were too late and a bit in the wrong place – they were looking far off the shore, but he was actually much closer. A bystander saw the man washing up on the beach and ran in, but freaked out when he saw the body. A woman on the beach must have been a doctor because she assisted. Another man I saw walking down the beach alone before this happened seemed to know the victim because he was extremely distraught seeing them performing CPR and a really nice woman from the Fire/Rescue Squad took him away and got him on the ferry. She spent a lot of time with him."

Just a reminder to all those out there visiting the beach this summer. Don't swim alone and be extra careful in rough surf.