News: Tina Turner, Galveston, Matt Foreman, Best Buy

Gays and lesbians in Washington state ask for divorce rights: "Supporters of the legislation unveiled Tuesday say it seeks to provide financial security for same-sex couples by establishing community property rights, probate protections and joint responsibility for debts. Murray, who is one of a handful of openly gay lawmakers in Olympia, say gays and lesbians seek not only the protections, 'but we are also asking for the responsibilities that go to marriage.' Senate Bill 6716 and House Bill 3104 also would provide domestic partners end-of-life rights, nursing-home visitation, veterans benefits and spousal testimonial privileges that married couples enjoy."

Best Buy quickly takes advantage of Heath Ledger's death: "A small sign, created by the company’s finest 1998-era laser printer, informs its customers that they should 'Remember a Great Actor Through Great Performances', tastefully suggesting that customers — who may not have even been aware of his passing — grieve the only way they know how: By reliving the romantic hijinx that is 10 Things I Hate About You."

Tina Turner and Béyonce to duet at the Grammys.

Matt Foreman to resign from National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, to lead Gay & Lesbian Program at the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund: "I will always love the Task Force, our work, our board, and our staff. Having served for 18 years as the executive director at three LGBT organizations, I’m incredibly privileged to be able to continue to work in and for the movement in a new role at the Haas, Jr. Fund. I have no doubt that the Task Force will continue to be the uncompromising progressive voice of the LGBT movement and to thrive and help lead our community to complete equality.”

Republican Fred Thompson drops presidential bid: "Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Shakira team up for Super Bowl commercial.

In new online game, user assumes role of presidential candidates and then shoots his or her opponents in the halls of the White House: ". While the ammo is paintball, the game on the highly trafficked miniclip.com site allows kids to train a rifle scope on six presidential aspirants and squeeze off a hail of shots (which are accompanied with a rat-a-tat sound). The game, 'Presidential Paintball,' features six candidates in the crosshairs: Barack Obama; Hillary Clinton; John Edwards; Mitt Romney; John McCain; and Rudy Giuliani (it seems the game was developed before the ascension of Mike Huckabee). If a candidate wins a head-to-head confrontation, he/she advances to a new shootout, which occurs in various White House settings, including outside the Oval Office."

Brad Renfro had a son nobody knew about.

Galveston, Texas opens LGBT visitors center.

David Beckham makes UNICEF trip to Sierra Leone.

New poll reveals attitudes toward gay people and sex in Britain: "18 percent of those surveyed consider gay relationships are always wrong, while 32 percent see homosexual sex as always or mostly wrong. Moreover, four in 10 people (42 percent) think gay male couples are not as capable of being good parents as heterosexual ones -- although three in 10 (31 percent) believe they are."

Sydney lawmakers begin dealing with the homophobic violence issue that plagues their city: “We’re not blaming any specific person for this, but violence is obviously a complex issue and we need to be using all opportunities to raise it. It’s got to be policies on the ground. Clearly the local council needs to work with police, but there’s a real role for it in changing what that entertainment precinct is used for. It’s quite a different place during the evening than during the day time. We support the measures to bring back the shops people need – fruit and veg, butcher, etc."

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Obama and Huckabee Take Nation's First Caucus in Iowa

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee won their respective races in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, leaving leftover candidates from both parties either scrambling for their next move or on their way out. Senator Hillary Clinton and John Edwards came within a percentage point of one another in the race for second place on the Democratic side, with Edwards edging out Clinton by a hair.

On the Republican side, second-place winner Mitt Romney was not even close, leaving a wide-open opportunity for John McCain in New Hampshire next week, where his support has risen in recent weeks.

The numbers came in like this: " Mr. Huckabee won with 34.4 percent of the delegate support, after 86 percent of precincts had reported. Mr. Romney had 25.4 percent, former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee had 13.4 percent and Senator John McCain of Arizona had 13.2 percent. On the Democratic side, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Obama had 37.6 percent of the delegate support, Mr. Edwards 29.8 percent and Mrs. Clinton had 29.5 percent. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was fourth, at 2.11 percent."

Other details:

Massive turnout bad omen for the GOP.
Chris Dodd, Joe Biden drop out of Democratic race...
Keith Olbermann declares that Mike Gravel has dropped out of the race, and Gravel demands a retraction!
Thompson finishes in near-tie for third with John McCain...
McCain reacted from New Hampshire: "I think that the lesson of this election is that, one, you can't buy an election in Iowa; and, two, that negative campaigns don't work. They don't work there, and they don't work here in New Hampshire."
Giuliani vows to fight on after poor showing.
Independents go for Obama and Ron Paul.

Check out what the candidates had to say (Clips of ALL THE SPEECHES) about their respective wins and losses, AFTER THE JUMP...

OBAMA: "You know, they said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. . . . You have done what America can do in this new year, 2008."

HUCKABEE: "What is happening tonight in Iowa is going to start really a prairie fire of new hope and zeal. And it's already happening across this nation because it is about we; we the people. We saw it tonight. . . . And we're going to continue to see it because this country yearns and is hungry for leadership that recognizes that when one is elected to public office, one is not elected to be a part of the ruling class; he's elected to be a part of the serving class."

CLINTON: "We're going to take this enthusiasm and go straight to New Hampshire...We have always planned on running a national campaign all the way through the early contests...What is most important now is that, as we go on with this contest, that we keep focused on the two big issues, that we answer correctly the questions that each of us has posed. How will we win in November 2008, by nominating a candidate who will be able to go the distance? And who will be the best president on day one? I am ready for that contest."

EDWARDS: "The one thing that's clear from the results in Iowa tonight is the status quo lost and change won. And now we move on. We move on from Iowa to New Hampshire and to the other states to determine who's best suited to bring about the change that this country so desperately needed."

ROMNEY: "Well, well, we won the silver. But just as Dan Jansen pointed out - you win the silver in one event, it doesn't mean you're not going to come back and win the gold in the final event."

THOMPSON: “It looks like someone’s gonna have to carry a strong conservative message, and it looks like it’s gonna be me.”

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #198

FRED THOMPSON: The GOP creature's latest "no amnesty" ad.

MIKE HUCKABEE: The lifelong hunter takes a different approcah to securing the border — Chuck Norris' fist.

JOE BIDEN: The Dem candidate's post-debate mash-up. What he said.

AMY WINEHOUSE: She's not a presidential candidate, nor could she be because she's not very good at hiding her bad behavior.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

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News: Facebook Bust, Brian Paddick, Equus, Slava Mogutin

Some students at Notre Dame donning "Gay? Go to Hell" T-shirts.

Bank intern busted by boss after "something came up at home" excuse for his day off was later revealed on his Facebook profile. He does make a cute fairy though.

Alabama gay activist Ken Baker dies at 50: "Unity United Church of Christ recently awarded Baker the Crystal Cross for his advocacy work. He was recognized specifically for his role in starting Equality Alabama and Communities of Faith for Full Inclusion. 'He's sure going to be missed around here,' said longtime friend and colleague Lynn Shaw, who is a past president of the Montgomery Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). 'I just can't believe how everyone's going to go on and function because he was involved in so many things.' Baker, who was gay, was known as a quiet, humble man who was creative and determined in his efforts to promote gay and lesbian rights."

Board of Education in Jefferson County in Kentucky recommends expanding harassment and employment policies to protect gay and lesbian employees, although transgender people are left behind for now: "We decided to include sexual orientation at this time, but decided to hold off on making a decision about transgender because, as of right now, gender identification is both a new and broad definition."

Janice Dickinson has joined the cast of the UK's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and nature is turning her into a savage: "I'm going to stab her in the middle of the night and take hers. You think I'm kidding? I'll eat her tits. I'll fry up those big old boobs."

Politicos nervous about upcoming "tell-all" book from former gay London top cop Brian Paddick to be released one month before critical election. Paddick: "You will be very surprised by some of the things in it, I can assure you."

Lily Allen's brother Alfie steps into Daniel Radcliffe's role in Equus.

Inside photographer Slava Mogutin's New York City go-go diary (warning: NSFW).

Fred Thompson to be endorsed by right-to-life, same-sex marriage foes in Iowa: "He drew an enthusiastic response from his audience when he praised the U.S. health care system and said: 'Let's not let the federal government mess that up.' The crowd also applauded when he brought up gay marriage and said: 'Whether marriage is between a man and a woman -- I thought that was decided a few thousand years ago!'"

Hugh Jackman's back at his favorite activity: getting naked at the beach.

Australian football club supporter mocked after receiving "gay" tattoo. Perhaps he should commisserate with the Dumbledore daddy.

North Carolina "ex-gay" minister proclaiming his success: "To follow christ and to say no to my behavior of homosexuality, um I really felt like I could live life differently that that's what God wanted, he wanted me to pursue him, not pursue men. So people can say, you can't change and I say yes you can." See ya at the next public park sex sting!

Gender Issues Analyst Melissa Fryrear of Focus on the Family continues to claim that all gay people have been sexually violated. (via pam's house blend)

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Fred Phelps and Fred Thompson: BFF?

Fred Phelps' gay-hating Westboro Baptist Church is getting up in the face of Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, claiming that Thompson once saw "eye-to-eye" with them and demanding to know if he agrees, as they claim he once did, with their views on homosexuality.

Westboro, which has made itself well-known over the years with their anti-gay picketing, says Thompson's view of homosexuals was "wonderful" when he visited them while working on a sexual harassment case in Topeka in the mid-80's.

Jeremy Hooper at Good As You received a letter from Phelps' daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper on the topic as well.

Thompson, via a spokesman, immediately distanced himself from the "radical fringe group, looking to draw attention to themselves" and issued this statement:

"Their behavior at the funerals of fallen soldiers is disgraceful and reprehensible. In no way do these people share Fred's values."

You may have missed...
Fred Thompson on Gay Marriage: "So Be It" [tr]
Fred Thompson: My Plan to Keep the Gays from Marriage [tr]

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #183

FRED THOMPSON: How to get applause? Ask for it.

FILIPINO PRISONERS: The YouTube sensations are back, this time with their rendition of the "Rico Mambo". (source: perez)

F**K BUSH: Editor who printed inflammatory editorial in Colorado State University newspaper to keep his job.

THE TAPSTER: Shuffling off to Buffalo, er, Minneapolis. (source: slog)

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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Fred Thompson on Gay Marriage: "So Be It"

Fred Thompson talked to the Des Moines Register editorial board about his position on gay marriage:

"My approach is to look at it as a, as framing the constitutional amendment as narrowly as you can and still achieve the purpose you want to achieve. It's a judicially-created problem and mine would be a judicially-created solution. Which could say, in effect, that a judge couldn't impose this, state or federal. Unless they had the acquiescence or unless the state legislature moved on its own to put it into law. If a state chose to recognize it, and the governor signed off and signed it into legislation, so be it. My opinion - that would be a very bad thing, a very surprising thing."

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Fred Thompson: My Plan to Keep the Gays from Marriage

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson reiterated his stance on gay marriage today, calling it an attempt to preserve "traditional" marriage while at the same time limiting the role of the federal government.

According to the Associated Press, "Thompson favors a constitutional amendment that bars judges from legalizing gay marriage, but also leaves open the door for state legislatures to approve the practice. He said social and religious conservatives who would prefer an amendment that also bars legislatures from legalizing gay marriage can live with his view."

Said Thompson, who claims he has "met frequently" with "influential social conservatives" he won't name: "Everyone I have talked to in my meetings like this, the answer has been yes. I think they prefer their own wording. They are primarily concerned about marriage being a union between a man and a woman. What I have done is fashion something that says judges can't [legalize gay marriages] any more...It'll stop the process in its tracks because it's all judge-made. No state legislature accompanied by a governor's signature has gone down that road."

Thompson Defends Gay Marriage Stance [ap]

Recently
Fred Thompson on Homosexual "Deviancy", Gay Marriage [tr]

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Fred Thompson on Homosexual "Deviancy", Gay Marriage

From his campaign bus over the weekend, here's video of Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson clarifying his position on gay marriage.

Salon also wrote about a campaign event at which Thompson was specifically asked about homosexual "deviancy", gay marriage, and a federal amendment banning it. Michael Scherer of The War Room notes that Thompson's position appears to have changed:

"In the past, Thompson has opposed a federal amendment to ban gay marriage on federalist grounds. Like Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he has said that he does not believe the federal government should be involved in an issue that should be left to the states. But on Friday, he said he would support a different type of amendment to the Constitution. "I would support a constitutional amendment which says some off-the-wall court decision in one state that recognizes the marriage in one state, like Massachusetts, just to pick a state, cannot go to another state and have it recognized in that state. You are not bound by what another state does." He was not done. "The second part of my amendment would also state that judges could not impose this [gay marriage], on the federal or state level, unless a state legislature signed off on it." This second part of his amendment is novel, if a bit ponderous. He has said before that he is against the federal government inserting itself into state matters like marriage. But he supports the federal government inserting itself into state courthouses, when they take up the issue of marriage. He did not immediately explain this conflict."

DocGonzo at DailyKos offered his analysis: "My analysis: these Republican spokesmodels don't care about gay marriage, gay people, Iowans, the Constitution, or anything else. They care about grabbing power, no matter what they say or do to get and keep it. Thompson is the worst kind of bigot: the opportunist bigot who doesn't even care who he hates or persecutes. Those kind are the hardest to catch and break, because they can melt into any background when bigotry is inconvenient."

And AmericaBlog notes a resemblance between Thompson and a villain from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.

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Former Senator Fred Thompson Joins GOP Presidential Candidates

The GOP has another potential candidate, as former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson finally announced his candidacy last night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also posted a web video announcing his run (below, right) that, among other things, took direct aim at Hillary Clinton.

Thompson on Leno: "I'm running for President of the United States. A lot of people have been, of course, running for some time. Everybody kind of changed the rules. Usually you don't announce until after Labor Day, but they started running a lot earlier, spending millions of dollars and so forth, and everyone said that you couldn't run this year without raising a hundred million dollars and starting much earlier. I don't believe that. I wasn't in the room when they made the rules; so I had to kind of follow my own lead. So we started around the kitchen table in late March talking about it, thinking about it, thinking about what kind of world and what kind of country our kids were going to grow up in and how many people have a chance to do something about it. And I decided that it was time for me to step up. So I did."

Thompson's voting record on gay rights is not surprising. He voted "no" on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation, he voted "yes" on DOMA, he voted "no" on a federal bill to prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and his position on a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is "against", preferring to let the states decide.

He has said: "I think that we ought to be a tolerant nation. I think we ought to be tolerant people. But we shouldn't set up special categories for anybody. And I'm for the rights of everybody, including gays, but not any special rights."

(Tonight Show video via Talking Points Memo)

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News: Synthetic Life, Andrew Sullivan, Frozen Smoke, Jocks

Blogger Lane Hudson files FEC complaint against Fred Thompson: "It is my contention that he has violated the 'testing the waters' exemption of election law. He has been presenting himself as a candidate for President, he has been raising large sums of money beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy, and he has signed a long term lease on a headquarters for his campaign. He has even spent advertising dollars, which are specifically prohibited by the law."

Scientists on verge of creating form of synthetic life: "It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it. We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways _ in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."

"Frozen smoke" is world-changing material, according to scientists: "It is expected to rank alongside wonder products from previous generations such as Bakelite in the 1930s, carbon fibre in the 1980s and silicone in the 1990s. Mercouri Kanatzidis, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said: 'It is an amazing material. It has the lowest density of any product known to man, yet at the same time it can do so much. I can see aerogel being used for everything from filtering polluted water to insulating against extreme temperatures and even for jewellery.'"

A briefing on the Democratic debate held over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

The L.A. Daily News looks at gay sites and straight athletes: "When it comes to visuals in sports, gay men and straight men are very similar except for the genders that we look at.Men are more visual. So we are just doing what mainstream sites do but we are catering to our audiences. If you look at Sports Illustrated or ESPN magazines, they all have some kind of photo gallery of hot babes in sports, or cheerleaders of the week. In a sense, that is geared toward what their audience mostly is: heterosexual."

An update on Britney's hair growth.

Responding to Victor Juliet Mukasa's press conference last week pleading for human rights in Uganda, the government has said there's no chance for equal rights or the legalization of homosexuality.

In space, no one can hear you eat your vegetables.

Blogger Andrew Sullivan experiencing "jitters" over imminent marriage.

Oklahoma chooses not to appeal ruling striking down a state law refusing Oklahoma birth certificates to children adopted by out-of-state same-sex couples. Lambda Legal: "This is a monumental decision, not just for the couples involved in the case, but for lesbian and gay parents and their children nationwide. It means that when same-sex couples have an adoption decree recognizing both of them as parents, the adoption, and their status as their child's parents, must be honored no matter where they go."

Federal government to pay $80,000 to couple arrested for wearing anti-Bush T-shirts.

From the big house to the Big Brother house: Paris Hilton to join UK version of Celebrity Big Brother?

WaPo looks at Giuliani's retreat on gay issues. GOP Pollster: "Outside New York, the rest of America has this image of Giuliani as a tough, no-nonsense guy who cleaned up Times Square, closed sex clubs. And that Giuliani doesn't sound like the Giuliani who's pro-choice, pro-gay rights, et cetera. Until Republican primary voters are given information that counters the image they have of Giuliani, many of them will assume that he is who he says he is."

South African hospital to gay pregnant woman: "We don't help people like you."

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