Blogimonde: PopMuse and Bloghungry Become Bloggy Baby Daddies.

Los Angeles blogger husbands Popmuse and Bloghungry announced today the birth of their first child.

We join the two longtime-friends of Towleroad in welcoming Lily to the village, and congratulate the couple on their recent anniversary celebration of 5 years together. There was also an official marriage ceremony in the last days before last November's election, and the couple has supported No on 8 and other efforts to overturn Proposition 8, which took away the right of Californians to marry legally.

Clearly, Lily is unlikely to want for love, strength, delicious food, the latest remixes, and companionship (there is, of course canine, Carrie Fisher), but rest assured of the support and love that's out there for the whole family.

Sometimes it does take a village, people.

Interview with Out Boy-Bander Nathaniel Flatt

Nathaniel Flatt. Photo by Keith Munyan.

Boy bands are successful because they're formulaic, giving fans the archetypes they want—you've got the cute one, the dangerous one, the young one.

Well, how about the gay one?

Twenty-seven-year-old Nathaniel Flatt is not a household name, and you can be excused if you have not yet heard of his boy band V Factory since their single "Love Struck" is just now making an impact at pop radio ahead of a projected summer album release on Warner Bros. Records. What makes him remarkable, aside from his obvious good looks and musicality, is that he's the first member of a U.S boy band to be out from the beginning of his career.

Lance Bass made a huge splash when he came out as gay three years ago on the cover of People after *NSYNC had disbanded, but he'd been beaten to the punch overseas—both Stephen Gately of Boyzone and Mark Feehily of Westlife, Irish boybands with enormous international followings, had come out while their groups were actively recording and touring.

But still, no American boy band has started out with an openly gay member. In talking with Nathaniel about his life and his approach to the media, it became apparent that simply being honest has helped him avoid a lot of uncomfortable situations, kept him proud of who he is and, interestingly, has made the act of coming out itself feel almost an afterthought.

The aim of pop music, in particular teen pop music, is usually to sell, sell, sell, leading to strict rules about the content and length of songs and the appearance and behavior of performers. But for Flatt, his sexual identity is "a part of me just like my arm is so I can't deny it." Being out is not a marketing ploy or a way to head off an impending tabloid story, but a simple matter of authenticity. And haven't explosions of authenticity  from within the clichés of the pop world led to some memorable artists?

It's anyone's guess whether V Factory will join their ranks, but they're on their way, sharing a manager with Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical fame and with former teen idol Tommy Page as their A&R at Warner Bros. (his "I'll Be Your Everything" went to #1 in 1990).

As for Flatt, it sounds like he's already where he needs to be.

Matthew Rettenmund's full interview with Nathaniel Flatt after the jump...

City Paper New York Blade Suspends Publication

Following yesterday's news that New York's nightlife local HX was sold to an undisclosed buyer, another casualty: the New York Blade has now suspended publication:

"The Blade, a biweekly paper with a free circulation of 22,000, was left with an uncertain future. 'It doesn’t have an issue scheduled until a week from Friday.' [CEO Matthew] Bank said. 'There are a lot of things that can happen between now and then.' The decision to suspend publication comes at a particularly active period for journalism concerned with gay issues: the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the gay pride parade on Sunday, the proposed same-sex marriage bill in the State Senate and discontent over the Obama administration’s performance on gay-rights issues."

Added Bank: "Everyone was let go, but the people on The Blade know that they may come back if The Blade is coming back."

News: Amsterdam, Oraine Barrett, DNC, Ants, Gay Apartheid

Mixner: U.S. in state of Gay Apartheid.

Signorile: Did the DNC LGBT fundraiser really bring in a million dollars?

New York local mag HX sold. Matthew Bank: "We've had an incredible time creating what we feel is the best local gay magazine the world has ever seen, and I am proud that even in this difficult economy we were able to ensure that this magazine that is dear to the hearts of so many readers will be able to continue under capable new ownership."

Paula Abdul and Cindy McCain pill panic?

Propofol, drug used for surgical anesthesia, found in Michael Jackson home. Entertainment Weekly publishes four tribute covers.

Canadian HIV vaccine ready for human trials.

Human Rights Campaign volunteer assaulted at Omaha Gay Pride after tossing stickers into Bible-beaters wagon.

Farrah Fawcett laid to rest.

White House won't appeal $500K ruling in favor of transgender employee of the Library of Congress in discrimination case.

God Says No: James Hannaham, author of new novel about religious repression, life in the closet, and sex in the bathroom, is interviewed by Salon.

Single colony of ants a new world superpower!

Thomas Norman, veteran district attorney who prosecuted Harvey Milk - George Moscone murder case which resulted in a lenient verdict against Supervisor Dan White and the subsequent White Night riots, dies.

Victory Fund endorses 15 new candidates.

The Hitler stealth planes that could have dropped a bomb on NYC: "The 142-foot wingspan bomber was submitted for approval in 1944, and it would have been able to fly from Berlin to NYC and back without refueling, thanks to the same blended wing design and six BMW 003A or eight Junker Jumo 004B turbojets. As the documentary shows, had the Nazis extended the war in 1946 and developed the atomic bomb as planned, the Ho 18 could have been their Enola Gay."

Vibe magazine to close immediately.

Ghosts: Stephen King remembers Michael Jackson. Public viewing scheduled at Neverland.

Oraine Barrett does Brazil's DOM magazine.

Muslim mayor in conservative Amsterdam suburb flies flag for gays: "Ahmed Marcouch, 41, is on a self-appointed mission to end homophobia in Slotervaart, just a stones' throw from the capital but light-years away from its anything-goes mentality. To make his point, Mayor Marcouch recently invited Amsterdam's annual Gay Pride parade to pass through his constituency when it takes place in August. 'It is necessary to confront this issue, to say that homosexuals are normal people like all of us and that we require them to be respected,' Marcouch told AFP."

New Project Runway is 100% heterosexual safe.

Cristiano Ronaldo attacks "fan" over video camera: "Ronaldo reportedly kicked in the window of a car the girl was sat in, sending shards of glass all over her. The teenager was treated for cuts on her arm in hospital and later reported the attack to police, it was claimed...The teenager is said to have told police she was videoing Ronaldo because she was a fan. However, some reports said she was with a freelance paparazzi photographer who had allegedly been following the star."

News: Mars, Neil Patrick Harris, Beijing, Lincoln Chafee, Bruno

Wockner: Gay tsunami slams Obama.

Schwarzenegger won't defend Prop 8 in federal court.

Definitive evidence of ancient lake on Mars discovered.

Prince Harry checks the equipment.

Wisconsin Senate approves domestic partnerships: "If domestic partnerships become law, Wisconsin would be the first state with an existing constitutional amendment banning both same-sex marriage and civil unions to provide domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples."

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka searching for surrogate mom.

Henry Cavill goes Upstreet.

Former U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee (RI): Gay Marriage a question of fairness. "Gays and lesbians have contributed to the diverse fabric of Rhode Island and the rest of the country for generations, strengthening our communities in innumerable ways...Once you acknowledge that homosexuality exists not by choice, the next obvious step is to grant gays and lesbians the same liberties and freedoms as every other American."

David Archuleta's dad not so innocent.

Katie Couric makes gay fan's dream come true.

First gay couple to become fathers in the UK expecting fourth child: "Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow sparked outrage when they used donated eggs and surrogate mothers in the USA to have their nine-year-old twins Aspen and Saffron and  five-year-old son Orlando. The pair from Danbury in Essex, battled the American authorities to become the first gay couple to have both their names on their children's birth certificates. The millionaire couple revealed today that a surrogate mother is carrying a fourth child for them, with the possibility of another twin birth."

For the Nth time: T.R. Knight officially done with Grey's Anatomy.

Planet Out, Here Networks merge: "Here Networks on Wednesday completed a merger with the struggling PlanetOut to create a new company called Here Media. Here employs 200 people in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It's a public company though not actively traded. PlanetOut shareholders received 20% ownership in Here.
The merger preserves the remaining assets of PlanetOut, a once high-flying Internet company that had struggled with losses and debt as it ventured into offline businesses. Its shares once traded for more than $100 apiece, but even an investment from a hedge fund controlled by Bill Gates didn't save PlanetOut from slipping into penny-stock status before Here swooped in to rescue it. When the NASDAQ delisted the stock last week, it traded at 38 cents."

Jesus Luz does Sao Paulo fashion week.

Beijing queer film festival makes progress: "The biggest change is that I'm not the only one doing this. There's more support from the gay community. Society has become more relaxed and open-minded in its thinking."

Guardian Film Review: Bruno. "There's an eye-popping montage of extreme gay sex practices (imaginary, one hopes), a surfeit of waving penises, dildos, fetish gear, anal bleaching, and an excruciating mime in which Brüno fellates the ghost of a deceased member of Milli Vanilli in front of a psychic."

Washington Post book critic: gay books aren't being published anymore.

Brian Graden says good-bye to MTV: "For me, it's time to complement my television ambitions with some new passions already in motion - the writing of two books, making music, creating theater, speaking on subjects that matter to me, raising alpacas…okay, perhaps not all calls will be heeded right away. I have no idea if I possess any of these talents, but my friends who know me well know that these new adventures have been tapping my shoulder for a few years."

Jarrett T. Barrios Named New President of GLAAD

Jarrett T. Barrios, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a former Massachusetts legislator and current president of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation will replace Neil Giuliano as GLAAD's new president, the organization announced today.

According to the organization, "At 40 years of age, Barrios will become the youngest leader of GLAAD and, as a Cuban-American, he will be the first head of a national LGBT organization fluent in English and Spanish. He was the first openly gay person and the first Latino elected to the Massachusetts State Senate, where he represented a largely white, Catholic, working-class district."

Barrios has also served as a boardmember of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and Greater Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance.

Said Barrios in a press release: “We’re making progress toward equality, but we’ll only achieve full equality if we change hearts and minds – and that’s what GLAAD is all about. We’re working for the day when every one of us is accepted, respected and valued for the contributions we make to this country.  It’s an ambitious goal, but I know we can do it.  I believe in our community, and I believe in our country.”

He is married to Doug Hattaway, his partner of 16 years, and they are raising two teenage sons.

A Victory Fund video profile on Barrios from 2007, AFTER THE JUMP...