Conan O'Brien on NBC's Failing Gay Grade from GLAAD

With regard to our post below on GLAAD's Network Responsibility Index, here's Conan O'Brien discussing NBC's gay televised offerings, AFTER THE JUMP...

Boy that was unpredictable.

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Berlanti Rewarded as GLAAD Releases LGBT Network Report

Yesterday, GLAAD released its second annual Network Responsibility Index which evaluates the quantity, quality and diversity of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on television.

According to GLAAD, "For the second year in a row, ABC led the broadcast networks in LGBT-inclusive content. Of its 1,150 total hours of primetime programming, 280.5 hours (24%) included LGBT impressions and 11% were transgender-inclusive, making ABC the most fair, accurate and inclusive of the five broadcast networks."

Following in the rankings were The CW (with 139.5 (21%) LGBT-inclusive hours), CBS (with 103.5 hours (9%) of LGBT-inclusive content), NBC (71.5 hours (6%) of LGBT-inclusive content), and finally FOX (with only 33.5 (4%) LGBT-inclusive hours).

FX led the cable networks. More here.

Coincidentally, ABC announced yesterday that Greg Berlanti (pictured), who produces the uber-gay Brothers and Sisters as well as Dirty Sexy Money featuring trans actress Candis Cayne, and Eli Stone, has signed a new "megadeal" with the network:

"The five-year pact -- said to be top-of-the-market, well into eight figures and featuring a large overhead component -- keeps Berlanti at ABC Studios."

Michael Jensen of AfterElton asked Fox's Entertainment President Kevin Reilly about Fox's poor ranking in the index yesterday at the (Television Critics Association)TCA press tour. Said Reilly: "I haven't had the chance to put any of the product on the air. I can say we've got several shows now moving forward with gay characters in them. I think our score ... I think our ... the scores get affected by what's ... sometimes you've actually got great representation and then for commercial or creative reasons something gets canceled and your numbers go down. That's something we're really committed to. In fact, right now were in production on a pilot called Virtuality that Ron Moore and Michael Taylor created and Peter Berg is directing. It's got a gay relationship that is as dimensional and honest as anything I've ever seen portrayed on television right now. If we move forward on that I think that is something to really note."

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GLAAD Issues 'Call to Action' Over FX Networks' 30 Days

GLAAD issued a "call to action" this week over FX Networks' Morgan Spurlock series 30 Days from In the episode, which aired last night (and is scheduled to repeat in NYC on Friday night), a woman who opposes gay and lesbian parents and their families lives for 30 days with gay parents Dennis and Thomas and their four adopted sons.

The episode also airs a disgusting statement from Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council (watch it, AFTER THE JUMP). Says Sprigg: "Homosexuality is associated with higher rates of sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse, and those are all reasons for us to be concerned about placing children into that kind of setting."

Writes GLAAD: "While there is no credible scientific research that backs Sprigg’s claim - and much that disputes it - the episode presents his assertion as if it were fact and offers no credible social science experts or child health authorities to challenge Sprigg’s assertion. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, and many other child health and social services authorities who support parenting by qualified lesbian and gay parents dispute Sprigg’s claim."

I've posted about Sprigg before. You may remember that back in March, Sprigg talked about immigration to the Medill Reports, saying, "I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society."

Dan Savage, who watched the show and knows the family portrayed, had this to add: "I happen to know the gay couple featured, Tom and Dennis Patrick, and their four boys. Every summer my family attends Gay Family Week in Saugatuck (not just me and the boyfriend and the kid, but my whole extended family), as do the Patricks. Tom and Dennis are great, mellow, thoughtful guys who’ve adopted four boys out of foster care. The state of Michigan, which should be pinning a medal on these guys, has instead threatened to take away their health-care benefits in the wake of an anti-gay marriage amendment to Michigan’s state constitution."

Watch the clip in question (via Joe.My.God), AFTER THE JUMP...

(courtesy of Joe.My.God)

GLAAD provided the following contact information for executives at FX, and urges you to contact them:

20th Century Fox Television, Inc.:
Jeffrey Glaser
Senior Vice President, Current Programming
(310) 369-0211
jeffrey.glaser@fox.com

FX Networks:
Nick Grad
Executive Vice President of Original Programming
(310) 369-0949
ngrad@fxnetworks.com

Chuck Saftler
Executive Vice President of Programming
(310) 369-0949
csaftler@fxnetworks.com

Scott Seomin
Vice President of Public Relations
(310) 369-0938
scott.seomin@fxnetwork.com

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News: Gay Sikhs, Shia LaBeouf, GLAAD Awards, Chernobyl

Gays join march for Chernobyl victims in Minsk: "When Sergey Androsenko, the 19 year-old leader of the Gay Youth Association in Belarus, paraded the gay “Rainbow Flag” through the streets of Minsk this afternoon, a little piece of LGBT history was made. It was the very first time that the flag had been seen on a political event in Belarus."

Is David Beckham planning to join the cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

Norman Mailer's gay sexual fantasies detailed in new book by his mistress Carole Mallory: "At one point in April 1990, when Mailer was 67 and married to his sixth wife, Norris Church, Mallory worried that her lover of the previous seven years 'could get AIDS'. Three weeks later, she wrote that Mailer had asked her what other men she would like to sleep with. When she mentioned a man named Paul, Mailer is said to have replied: 'He’s gay. Why don’t we all three f***?' At another point she writes: 'He asked me to wash his bottom. So SAD. He is so ashamed of what he likes.' On October 24, 1990, Mallory scribbled in a black spiral notebook: 'I think Rick Stratton is his lover. One of them.'"

GLAAD media awards held in Los Angeles. Coverage here, here, and here.

The White House Correspondent's Dinner was definitely not A-Listy enough.

Bobby Trendy unmasked.

$500 million private Airbus A380 features conference room, grand lounge, master bedroom.

Air traffic controllers sound yet another alarm over working conditions, fatigue.

Gay gossip columnist Ben Widdicombe of the New York Daily News puts down his pen: "I have been a gossip columnist for all my 10 years in New York—first with the online fashion column 'Chic Happens,' and six years full-time with the Daily News. But for a writer New York is like a fairground, and I think it’s time to go on some of the other rides. Also lately I’ve developed a peculiar attitude towards scandal—with some of the items that have crossed my desk I’ve thought, 'This really isn’t any of my business.' Which is problematic for a professional gossip columnist."

Gay men and lesbians in St. Petersburg, Russia have started their own "Day of Silence".

The beef is roasting.

Gay gossip columnist Ted Casablanca getting married.

Parents of Florida hate crime victim Ryan Keith Skipper fight for anti-bullying legislation on what would have been Skipper's 27th birthday.

Police storm gay rights group meeting in Kyrgyzstan: "Police forced their way into the premises of the LGBT group Labrys, which was in the midst of hosting a dinner for 30 domestic and international advocates. Members of the Kyrgyz Anti-AIDS Association and other local groups were joined by international partners from organizations including COC, the Dutch LGBT association that is the world's oldest gay groups and Gender Doc-M, an LGBT group in Moldova. Police threatened to arrest anyone who did not produce identification papers."

The biggest Mentos-Coke explosion of all time.

A father speaks out about having a gay son.

Gay Vancouver man forms support group for LGBT Sikhs: "Since launching the group April 6, Amar has signed up 33 members – mostly men, but a few women as well. He says the quick response is proof of the need. Citing the 'one in 10 rule,' in which some researchers estimate that 10 per cent of the general population is homosexual, Amar believes there are thousands of gay Sikhs in the Surrey-North Delta area. He knows of some who have been forced into marriages and lead a secret double life – dancing in gay clubs at night, and sadly, sometimes bringing sexually-transmitted diseases home. 'This should not be happening,' he says."

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Rufus Wainwright Focusing on a Day in the Life of an Opera Diva

Rufus Wainwright, who was presented with GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award (named for the late casting director and given to an openly gay member of the entertainment or media community for his or her work toward eliminating homophobia) at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles over the weekend, told Variety about his next project, Prima Donna, an opera which focuses on a day in the life of an opera diva.

Said Wainwright: "I've written songs for so many years that it's basically become a bodily function. There's nothing glamorous about it whatsoever. I've wanted to write an opera since I was about 14 years old, but I couldn't find a story that I could wrap my head around. (Inspiration came from my fascination with) the construct of the diva, from Maria Callas to Norma Desmond and the (Jean-Jacques Beineix) movie 'Diva' from the '80s. And God darn it, there's a bit of me in that too. Once the lights go down, it all kind of boils down to the same thing. It just has to be good."

Wainwright (pictured here with his partner, German arts administrator Jorn Weisbrodt, at the GLAAD awards) will function "as both composer and librettist (in French)" for the work, which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.

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News: Heath Ledger, North Carolina, Op, Michael Cunningham

Michelle Williams says she's been visited by the ghost of Heath Ledger: "The first time, she was woken at night after hearing furniture move. In another 'visitation', she said he apologised to her for not being there to help raise their two-year-old daughter, Matilda. Williams claimed the hauntings helped her grieve."

Remember 'Op' surfwear? It's making a comeback.

Who is Gossip Girl's gay character going to get caught making out with? (SPOILER WARNING)

Pinkberry comes clean on ingredients.

Paper: Mood of 'deep pessimism' pervades AIDS vaccine scientists.

North Carolina adds new rule to Patents' bill of rights ensuring that same-sex partners will get visitation rights: "The rule adds a provision to the Patients’ Bill of Rights, stating: “A patient has the right to designate visitors who shall receive the same visitation privileges as the patient’s immediate family members, regardless of whether the visitors are legally related to the patient.” The right applies to hospitals statewide. 'We know how important it is that patients have their loved ones by their sides, but all too often same-sex partners have been turned away when their partner is hospitalized.' said Ian Palmquist, Executive Director of Equality NC Foundation. 'The new policy will ensure that the patient’s wishes are respected. This is a victory not just for same-sex couples, but for unmarried opposite-sex couples, caregivers, and other loved ones whom the state does not legally recognize.'" Medical decisions are not covered under the new rule.

HUNG: HBO developing series about a guy with a big dick?

Town administrator of Easton, Massachusetts, outside Boston, to marry: "Tomorrow, Easton Town Administrator David Colton will marry his longtime partner, Brian Khoo, an interior designer from Malaysia. It will be a black-tie event. The five Easton selectmen will attend. So will state Senator Brian A. Joyce, a legislative supporter of gay marriage who will deliver a speech on the subject. In a perfect world, Colton said, there would be no need for such a speech at his wedding. And becoming the first gay town administrator in the state to get married would not deserve particular note. But, for now, Colton said, he sees his marriage as a validation of a fight for equality - of his work to become a successful town administrator, regardless of his sexual orientation."

Cristian de la Fuente: stogie daddy.

Check out the trailer for Will Smith's summer superhero movie Hancock.

Game show looking for real-life Will & Grace.

New York theater figure Joe Cino honored with plaque to be mounted on site of historic cafe: "Fifty years ago Joe Cino rented a storefront in New York City’s Greenwich Village in order to open a coffee house, which eventually morphed into what is now regarded as the birthplace of the Off Off Broadway movement and the American Gay Theatre Movement."

Michael Cunningham's The Hours to become an opera?

Variety previews the GLAAD media awards in L.A.: "On occasion, the specifics resonate far beyond the same-sex world and into the mainstream, as when Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' dominated conversations two years ago or Ellen DeGeneres came out on her eponymous TV show a decade earlier. But not every year can be a banner one, and the work of 2007 being celebrated at this year's ceremonies seems to honor steady progress more than milestone moments."

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GLAAD Pulls Out of Event at Venue Owned by Anti-Gay Developer

GLAAD pulled out of a "Pride Rocks" event scheduled for the summer at San Diego's Manchester Grand Hyatt after discovering that the venue's owner, Doug Manchester, helped fund foes of same-sex marriage and their recent ballot petition drive:

"Manchester, a local developer, contributed $125,000 to a drive to put a same-sex marriage ban before voters in November. Backers of the ban have said this week that they have gathered enough signatures to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the ballot. The president of the gay and lesbian alliance , Neil Giuliano, said in a news release that Manchester's decision to fund an initiative that would 'hurt loving, committed gay couples makes it impossible for us' to take part in an event that promotes his hotel. Giuliano urged other members of the gay and lesbian community to withdraw from the event also."

Manchester welcomes gays and lesbians to his hotel and restaurant, the San Diego Union Tribune reports, but doesn't want to see them married.

related
Same-Sex Marriage Foes in California Ready to Submit Petitions [tr]
California High Court Preparing Pro-Gay Ruling on Marriage? [tr]
Schwarzenegger Calls Gay Marriage Ban 'a Total Waste of Time' [tr]

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News: Michael Stipe, Tel Aviv, Anthony Minghella, China and Tibet

China closes off media access, shuts down YouTube, CNN, and Google amid violent crackdown in Tibet. China has also begun parading Tibetan prisoners on military trucks in Lhasa. Dalai Lama threatens to step down...

Michael Stipe comes out? "It was super complicated for me in the ’80s. I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious. Now I recognize that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there."

GLAAD hands out media awards in New York; Barbara Walters, Judy Shepard, Brian Graden and films The Bubble and For the Bible Tells Me So all honored. Who was there?

Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella dies at 54: "Minghella's publicist, Jonathan Rutter, said the filmmaker died at London's Charing Cross Hospital. He said Minghella was operated on last week for a growth in his neck, 'and the operation seemed to have gone well. At 5 a.m. today he had a fatal hemorrhage.'"

Pennsylvania senate proposes amendment banning gay marriage: "Constitutional amendment legislation failed in the last legislative session but is being considered anew in the current session. During a Senate committee hearing, Maggie Gallagher, President of the National Organization for Marriage, said an amendment to the state constitution would protect against a judge’s ruling that could strike down state law defining marriage as between a man and woman…'It’s not a fantasy that this could happen. It is happening – it’s happened in New Jersey, it’s happened in Connecticut' Gallagher was speaking to Republican Senator Jane Earll of Erie, skeptical of the need for a constitutional amendment: 'We are going to hold our constitution hostage to the wackiest judge in some other state. I just think that amending the constitution is a very drastic measure.'"

Janet Jackson opens wide for Black Book.

Tel Aviv hoping to attract more gay tourists.

Richard I slept in the same bed with French King Phillip II but it wasn't a gay thing: "It was an accepted political act, nothing sexual about it; just two politicians literally getting into bed together, a bit like a modern-day photo opportunity."

Chad Allen, Janeane Garofalo, Rebecca Gayheart, Soleil Moon Frye, Patrick Muldoon and Brad Rowe team up for gay indie screwball comedy For Better or For Worse: "Frye will play the lesbian minister presiding over the ceremony at the home of one groom's mother (Ruta Lee). The guests include the jilted ex of one of the grooms and his new beau (Muldoon and Allen), a closeted neighbor (Stanley Kamel), a wallflower sister (Gayheart), a family-man brother (Rowe) and his nanny (Garofalo), who has a bombshell to drop."

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Spot the differences in Ryan Seacrest 2.0.

Brazil gets another new gay magazine.

Hugh Jackman spends more time naked than dressed.

Anti-gay graffiti causes stir in Northern California town of Fortuna: "A Fortuna resident noticed anti-homosexual words painted on several mailboxes on her street and filed a police report Thursday. The derogatory words, 'fag' and 'gay,' made her so irate, it took her more than an hour to stop shaking, she said. The Fortuna Police Department is treating the vandalism as a hate crime because the intent was likely to express hate, FPD Sgt. Jack Bernstein said. 'It’s concerning for us to have something like this.'"

Police officers punished in Austin, Texas after remarks: "Cmdr. Calvin Smith, who has worked for the department for 34 years and supervises the Austin police training academy, told the fellow commander that he was worried about the 'kind of message' the potential transfer of a gay female officer would send at the academy, which already had two lesbians working there, according to a disciplinary memo. Cmdr. Larry Oliver was fired for failing to report the comments, even though he later confirmed to investigators that he thought Smith was referring to 'their being lesbians,' a disciplinary memo said. He was fired after refusing Acevedo's offer of a 30-day suspension."

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News: Kelly Rowland, Sundance, Vermont, Johnny Weir, Florent

L.A. Times columnist asks why The Kite Runner, and its controversial boy-rape scene wasn't included in the GLAAD awards. Maybe because sexual orientation had nothing to do with it.

Channing Tatum recruited for GI Joe film: "The 27-year-old modern-turned-actor will play Duke, a field commander and second-in-command of the G.I. Joe Team after Hawk. Other actors signed on: Sienna Miller as The Baroness, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaj (Lost) as Heavy Duty, Rachel Nichols (Alias) as Shana ‘Scarlett’ O’Hara and Marlon Wayans as Ripcord. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From the Sun) is also in negotiations to join the project."

Randy Lovely promoted to editor of The Arizona Republic, making him the nation's only openly gay editor of a major U.S. newspaper: "Lovely says he has never hidden his sexual preference, but is not among the most outspoken gay rights activists. 'There are many others who are much more involved. I support them, but I am not on the leadership,' he says of his NLGJA membership. 'I have not had to be anything other than what I am. I can't be the one to tell anyone they have to be out. But it is not something I am afraid of.'"

New York meatpacking staple Florent, which I did a long photo piece on two years ago, may be closing...

Johnny Weir ties with Evan Lysacek at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships but Lysacek wins for skating better in the free skate: "First place, second place, last place, I'm just happy with the way I skated. I was so nervous, and it's fantastic vindication to know I came back and didn't completely fall apart. I feel like a winner."

Keith Olbermann would trade personal success for a decent president: "I think this has been a disastrous presidential administration. I would have given what I have, in terms of broadcasting success in the nature of this newscast, I would have easily said…if I were given the choice of this or some responsible presidency in the last four years or eight years? I would have taken a responsible presidency."

Gay ordained Presbyterian minister Brian Webb-Mitchell shares tips for gay parents in new book: "I wrote the book because there was nothing out there that was pro-gay, pro-child, pro-family and pro-Christian. The books that dealt with gay parenting and Christianity were not very pro-Christian. If anything, they steered people toward the United Church of Christ and away from Catholic and Evangelical churches."

Adrian Grenier brings along his own little entourage.

New board game created by son of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius set inside a prison is called "Don't Drop the Soap": "Fight your way through 6 different exciting locations in hopes of being granted parole. Escape prison riots in The Yard, slip glass into a mob boss' lasagna in the Cafeteria, steal painkillers from the nurse's desk in the Infirmary." And whatever you do, avoid those gays in the shower room!

"Pro-family" conservatives in Arkansas launch drive to stop unmarried couples from adopting or becoming foster parents. Jerry Cox, president of the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee: "Anyone who tells you that this initiated act is only about gay adoption is not telling you the whole story. Anyone who will tell you, though, that gay adoption has nothing to do with this act wouldn’t be telling you the whole story, either."

Sundance Film Festival winners announced...

Work: Kelly Rowland is proud as a peacock at G-A-Y.

Gay Miller Brewing executive Vic Milford shot and killed in Milwaukee robbery: "'At this time, this is a company grieving the tragic loss of one of its dearest employees,' [a Miller spokesman] said, in a statement. 'The immediate impact of this loss is being felt most by the family and friends of Vic Milford. And out of respect for the Milford family, we believe our attention is best served by caring for those most affected by this horrible tragedy.' Milford, a citizen of South Africa, had lived in Milwaukee since taking the Miller Brewing job in February 2005, Green said, and previously worked for SABMiller since 2002. Milford is survived his parents, who are residents of Zimbabwe, a sister in Australia and a man described as Milford's life partner, who lives in South Africa, according to a Miller statement."

Carol Channing is a robber magnet!

Gay Vermont legislator Jason Lorber moonlights as a stand-up comic: "When I first came here, people said 'You're the first comedian to come to the Statehouse.' I say 'I'm the first PROFESSIONAL comedian to come to the Statehouse'...Politics is about changing society and trying to make the world a better place. And performing makes me feel so alive. I love the creative aspect of it...Growing up, I never pictured myself being with a gay guy. Now, I've come to realize that I could never be happy being with a straight guy."

L.A. Times columnist: FOX News host John Gibson should lose his platform over Heath Ledger remarks.

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GLAAD Media Award Nominees Announced

GLAAD announced its nominations for the 19th annual GLAAD Media Awards last night at the Queer Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival for its award ceremonies to be held in New York on March 17, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis; in South Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on April 12; in Los Angeles on April 26 at the Kodak Theatre; and in San Francisco on May 10 at the San Francisco Marriott.

Special honorees were also named that will be recognized at each of the ceremonies: Brian Graden at the New York ceremony, Janet Jackson, Rufus Wainwright and Herb Ritts in Los Angeles, Ilene Chaiken and David Mixner in San Francisco, and Wilson Cruz in South Florida.

Full list of nominees AFTER THE JUMP...

Nominees for the 19th Annual GLAAD MEdia Awards

Film - Wide Release
Across the Universe (Revolution Studios)
The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stardust (Paramount Pictures)

Film - Limited Release
The Bubble (Strand Releasing)
Dirty Laundry (Codeblack Entertainment)
Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Pocket Releasing)
Nina's Heavenly Delights (Regent Releasing)
Whole New Thing (Picture This! Entertainment)

Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Degrassi: The Next Generation (The N)
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
Greek (ABC Family)
The L Word (Showtime)

Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Exes and Ohs (Logo)
The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central)
Ugly Betty (ABC)
The War at Home (Fox)

Individual Episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBT character)
"Boy Crazy" Cold Case (CBS)
"Do Tell" Boston Legal (ABC)
"Free to Be You and Me" Kyle XY (ABC Family)
"The Gangs of Camden County" My Name is Earl (NBC)
"Sin" Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Television Movie, Mini-Series or Anthology
Daphne (Logo)
The DL Chronicles (here!)
The State Within (BBC America)

Documentary
Camp Out (Logo)
Cruel and Unusual: Transgender Women in Prison (WE tv)
For the Bible Tells Me So (First Run Features)
Freddie Mercury: Magic Remixed (VH1/Logo)
Small Town Gay Bar (Logo)

Reality Program
"Chase/Lane" Trading Spouses (Fox)
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo)
Project Runway (Bravo)
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (SciFi Channel)
Work Out (Bravo)

Daily Drama
All My Children (ABC)
As The World Turns (CBS)

Talk Show Episode
"Born in the Wrong Body" The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
"Gay Around the World" The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
"Gay Athletes & Rappers: It's Not In to be Out" The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated)
"Growing Up Intersex" The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
"Transgender Kids" The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated)

TV Journalism - Newsmagazine
Born in the Wrong Body (MSNBC)
"A Church Divided" In the Life (PBS)
"Don't Ask Don't Tell" 60 Minutes (CBS)
"My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children" 20/20 (ABC)
"A Royal Scandal" Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC)

TV Journalism - News Segment
"The First Casualty" Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
"Gay Homeless Teens" Uncovering America (CNN)
"Gospel of Inclusion" Uncovering America (CNN)
"Sent Away to 'Change'" Good Morning America (ABC)
"Sex Change Controversy" Paula Zahn Now (CNN)

Newspaper Article
"Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight" by Jane Gross (The New York Times)
"Girl/Boy Interrupted" by Lauren Smiley (SF Weekly)
"In a Progressive State, a City Where Gay Life Hangs by a Thread" by Andrew Jacobs (The New York Times)
"Line in Sand for Same-Sex Couples" by Teresa Watanabe (Los Angeles Times)
"What the Heart Wants" by Lane DeGregory (St. Petersburg Times)

Newspaper Columnist
Christine Daniels (Los Angeles Times)
Alfred Doblin (The Record [Bergen, NJ])
Mark Morford (San Francisco Chronicle)
Frank Rich (The New York Times)
Rebecca Walsh (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Newspaper Overall Coverage
The Boston Globe
Los Angeles Times
The New York Times
The Seattle Times
San Francisco Chronicle

Magazine Article
"Akinola’s Power Play" by Kerry Eleveld (The Advocate)
"Dying to Come Out: The War on Gays in Iraq" by David France (GQ)
"The Kingdom in the Closet" by Nadya Labi (The Atlantic Monthly)
"(Rethinking) Gender" by Debra Rosenberg (Newsweek)
"Special Report: Gays at War" by Marc Haeringer, William Henderson, Michael Rowe, Corey Scholibo, and Bernice Yeung (The Advocate)

Magazine Overall Coverage
The Advocate
CosmoGIRL!
Entertainment Weekly
Newsweek
Us Weekly

Digital Journalism Article
"Gay Newsmen - A Clearer Picture" by James Hillis (AfterElton.com)
"Gender and the Pulpit" by Lauren McCauley (Newsweek.com)
"Officially 'I Do'" by Tracy Stokes (BET.com)
"Oregon State Coach Fulfills Dream of Becoming Father" by Graham Hays (ESPN.com)
"Why the T in LGBT is Here to Stay" by Susan Stryker (Salon.com)

Digital Journalism – Multimedia
"The Advocate 40th Anniversary'" (Advocate.com)
"Fuera del Closet: Gay Hispanic Immigrants in Dallas" by Sergio Chapa (NewAmericaMedia.org)
"Landmark Moments in Gay Hollywood" by Mark S. Luckle (EW.com)
"Uncovering America: Fighting for Acceptance" (CNN.com)

Music Artist
Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City
The Cliks, Snakehouse
Melissa Etheridge, The Awakening
Rufus Wainwright, Release the Stars
Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position

Comic Book
American Virgin by Steven T. Seagle (Vertigo/DC Comics)
The Boys by Garth Ennis (Dynamite Entertainment)
Midnighter by Garth Ennis, Brian K. Vaughan, Christos Gage, Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, and Keith Giffin (Wildstorm/DC Comics)
The Outsiders by Judd Winick, Greg Rucka, and Tony Bedard (DC Comics)
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)

Advertising – Electronic
"Change" Levis
"Goodbye" Orbitz
"Jewels" & "Time" Dolce & Gabbana
"Rejected" Chemistry.com
"Tu Pride - Jaime" MTV Tr3s

Los Angeles Theater
Act A Lady, by Jordan Harrison
Anything, by Tim McNeil
Avenue Q, book by Jeff Whitty, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Havana Bourgeois, by Carlos Lacamara
The Long Christmas Ride Home, by Paula Vogel

New York Theater – Broadway & Off–Broadway
100 Saints You Should Know by Kate Fodor
All That I Will Ever Be by Alan Ball
The Beebo Brinker Chronicles by Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman
Some Men by Terrence McNally
Speech & Debate by Stephen Karam

New York Theater – Off–Off Broadway
1001 Beds by Tim Miller
BASH'd: A Gay Rap Opera by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, music by Aaron Macri
I Google Myself by Jason Schafer
Yank! book and lyrics by David Zellnik, music by Joseph Zellnik
The Young Ladies Of by Taylor Mac

Special Recognition
BET J
The Intelligence Report
Theater Rhinoceros

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News: South Korea, Seattle Bingo Drag, Richard Simmons, UFOs

An entire blog devoted to men who look like old lesbians.

Porn star (link NSFW) who won Mr. Gay Argentina draws attention to legitimacy of Mr. Gay competition: "In the United States, gay porn is often looked upon as representing the gay community in a negative light, but other countries like Argentina have less hang ups about allowing their community to be represented by someone who has participated in the industry. For most naysayers, the problem isn't so much that a porn star will be representing a country at the competition as it is about the validity of the competition itself...The organizers say they are "looking for all types of guys, from gym-bunny to math geek with a passion to lead," but the math geeks seem to have taken a much further back seat to the gym bunnies... like perhaps on a different bus."

GLAAD President Neil Giuliano on the proliferation of same-sex commitment announcements: "Today, every state in the union and Washington, D.C., has at least one paper with an inclusive policy for their weddings and celebrations pages -- for a combined national circulation of over 37 million in nearly 900 outlets, reaching almost 75 percent of total newspaper readers."

Christina Aguilera or pregnant drag queen?

Drag queen host no longer welcome at Seattle's gay bingo. Thom Hubert: "As a drag queen, if I stuck to this stuff by the letter, why, I’d have to wear a black robe and stand behind a podium and just read the numbers out. The contract said, ‘the host will not act in a flirtatious manner, will not wear reveailing clothing, will not make sexual gestures or comments.’ How could any drag queen appear or perform under these guidelines?"

As promised, North Carolina Baptists vote to expel Myers Park church for welcoming gay congregants and not trying to change them: "The liberal church of 1,970 members became the first to be kicked out under rules passed at last year's meeting that said any Baptist church that affirmed or endorsed homosexual behavior would be considered 'not in friendly cooperation with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.'"

Eight cows in Utah attempted to make a break for it when the trailer they were in pulled in to a McDonald's restaurant. Lt. Kevin Burns: "They didn't like their future."

What's an episode of Heroes without some additional Milo Ventimiglia skin scenes.

Gay activists in South Korea request international support: "They want to mobilise international support for the restoration of sexual orientation as a protected category in the proposed anti-discrimination legislation (ADL) recently drafted by the Ministry of Justice."

Richard Simmons brings Jennie Garth to tears on Dancing with the Stars (video).

NYU's plans for a campus in the United Arab Emirates angers LGBT students: "Now, a month after administrators announced plans for the university's first full-fledged satellite campus, some students have raised questions about the partnership, saying it is at odds with NYU's support for rights for lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender students. NYU has a reputation for being one of the U.S.'s most gay-friendly schools; the Princeton Review has ranked it 'Most Accepting of the Gay Community' two years in a row. At a town hall meeting last week, two students sharply questioned NYU president John Sexton about the plan and voiced their concerns about LGBT students at NYU Abu Dhabi. U.A.E. federal law does not outlaw homosexuality outright, but it does define 'acts of homosexuality' as illegal, said Simon Pearce, the director of strategic communications for Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority."

19 former pilots and government officials call on United States reopen investigations into UFOs: "We want the US government to stop perpetuating the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth, conventional terms."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #196

REPUBLICAN TOM TANCREDO: His first ad in Iowa. Heinous.

WHEN FLAGS ATTACK: An awkward end to a recent Clinton press conference.

GLAAD: The latest "Be an Ally & a Friend" PSA, featuring Rex Lee, Alexandra Billing, TR Knight, John Amaechi, and Jamie Bamber, has been released in honor of the upcoming Transgender Day of Remembrance.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: This aired last month. Larry confronts a skinhead.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

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T.R. Knight is GLAAD He Came Out

GLAAD has released their latest "Be an ally and a friend" PSA featuring T.R. Knight. It will begin airing tomorrow, on National Coming Out Day.

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GLAAD Study: Gay Characters Fade on Networks, Rise on Cable

A new report from GLAAD reveals that LGBT representations on prime time scripted shows will decline for the second straight year.

GLAAD took a look at 650 characters in 87 scripted shows from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and The CW and determined that 1.1% of series regular characters (that's seven out of the 650) represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people.

According to GLAAD, "The seven LGBT regular characters appear on five scripted programs: Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, The Office and the midseason series Cashmere Mafia. Six of these seven characters are on ABC, with no lead or supporting LGBT characters scheduled to appear on CBS, FOX or The CW."

Said GLAAD President Neil Giuliano: "While we acknowledge there have been improvements made in how we are seen on the broadcast networks, most notably on ABC, our declining representation clearly indicates a failure to inclusively reflect the audience watching television. Striving toward diversity isn’t merely the responsible road to take for broadcasters, but as many of television’s highest-rated programs demonstrate, it’s also good for business. One need only look at the growing viewership of cable networks to see how inclusive programming can attract a wider audience."

The media watchdog did find that 13 semi-regular recurring characters are scheduled to appear on shows during the upcoming season.

Cable, however, is a different story. Says GLAAD: "A total of 40 series regulars were counted across 21 scripted comedies and dramas scheduled to air on mainstream cable networks this season; 15 more than were counted last year. These numbers in part reflect a continued commitment to diversity effectively demonstrated by mainstream cable networks such as The N, FX, HBO, Showtime, and BBC America. Cable networks Logo and here! create additional original scripted programming for a predominantly LGBT audience."

This is the 12th year GLAAD has produced the study.

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News: O.J. Simpson, Michael Mukasey, Alan Keyes, New Zealand

Human Rights Campaign releases 2008 Corporate Equality Index: "195 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating of 100 percent, up from 138 last year - a 41 percent increase." (PDF)

Bush nominates retired judge Michael Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy: "The next attorney general needs to be someone who can begin the process of restoring the Department of Justice to its proper mission."

Some gamers see coded message in Super Mario Galaxy packaging.

Anti-gay Republican wingnut Alan Keyes announces 3rd bid for Presidency. Keyes: "The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life...We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival."

What has Helmut Lang been up to lately? "Lang remains as allergic to publicity as ever — he politely refused to be interviewed for this story — and spends most of his time at the East Hampton property he shares with his longtime companion. He is working on a number of art projects, including “Long Island Diaries” (a chronicle he began in 2005) and “Selective Memory Series” (a constantly updated scrapbook of his A-list life, parts of which were released earlier this year in conjunction with Purple magazine)."

Rex Wockner offers a few thoughts about GLAAD and the reclamation of the F-word.

Are you a closeted Republican looking for the perfect romantic liaison? Give GOP-Harmony a try.

Madonna in Rosh Hashana summit with Israeli leader Shimon Peres. Spokeswoman: "The president and Madonna discussed how to advance the peace process, and conciliation and tolerance throughout the world. Madonna told the president she wants to promote those messages in her songs and books, and how important it was to educate children with those ideas. She also said that meeting President Peres and welcoming in the new Jewish year together with him was the fulfillment of a dream."

O.J. Simpson adds "two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a firearm" to his resume.

Air New Zealand announces drag queen-staffed "Pink Flight" to Sydney Mardi Gras: "The flight will be modeled after an Auckland-to-Sydney trip Air New Zealand made this year for the gay Mardi Gras, according to Williams. Before that full flight, the crew put on pink feather boas and sang for its couple hundreds passengers, she said. 'Even the pilot was wearing fairy wings and got into it,' [marketing director Jodi]Williams said."

Lost Without Careless Whisper: George Michael meets Robin Thicke.

Promoter Jeffrey Sanker invites Britney Spears to redeem herself at Las Vegas White Party: "I would love to offer Britney the chance to return to...the Palms Hotel, her own ‘ground zero,’ where all those are saying she so ‘imploded,’ and redeem herself with her very loyal gay community." Will invite Chris Crocker if Brit signs on... PLUS: Britney recreates VMAs disaster in The Sims.

Gay banker Peter Lewis loses long-running discrimination suit against HSBC: "The case was one of the first high-profile legal actions to be heard at an employment tribunal after sex discrimination laws were extended to gay and lesbian people. It raised a number of novel legal issues, including what comparisons should be used when trying to decide whether the treatment of a gay employee was discriminatory. In the past fortnight a London employment tribunal reheard evidence surrounding four specific allegations of bias against the former head of equity trading during internal disciplinary proceedings at HSBC. On Friday it said: 'The judgment of the tribunal is that the claimant’s complaints are not well-founded and are accordingly dismissed.'"

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First Look: GLAAD "Be an Ally and a Friend" PSA

Twenty-two entertainers and athletes have taken part in a series of 25 public service announcements produced by GLAAD to be unveiled every two weeks over the coming year. The series, entitled "Be an Ally & a Friend" encourages viewers to combat homophobia and asks straight people to be "allies" of the gay community.

The PSAs feature former professional basketball player John Amaechi, Jamie Bamber, performer Lance Bass, Alexandra Billings, Wilson Cruz, Rachel Griffiths, T.R. Knight, Rex Lee, Jason Lewis, Eric Mabius, Alec Mapa, Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, Becki Newton, Jerry O’Connell, Ana Ortiz, Sara Ramirez, Shaun Robinson, Rebecca Romijn, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, Michael Urie, and Kate Walsh.

Says GLAAD President Neil Giuliano in an announcement to be released midday today:"The ‘Be an Ally & a Friend’ campaign empowers each and every one of us to make a difference in the lives of loved ones by listening to and supporting those who come out. The straight allies and community members who gave their time and energy to this campaign deserve our deepest thanks for participating in this effort to reach a critical audience. Straight allies are some of the most effective and powerful voices in the struggle for equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Not only can allies offer vital support to people in the coming out process, they also help others understand the importance of equality, fairness, tolerance and mutual respect."

According to GLAAD, "The PSAs will also be available through broadcast collaborations with Access Hollywood, national cable networks such as GSN, IFC, Lifetime, The N, SCI FI Channel and Sundance Channel; local cable systems and network affiliates; online at LiveVideo, YouTube, AOL Video and MySpace; and others to be announced."

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Buju Banton: Gay Protestors Ignorant, Stupid

Buju Banton may have signed the "Reggae Compassionate Act" but that doesn't equate to much compassion for protestors at the recent Reggae Carifest in New York.

GLAAD protested Carifest because of its inclusion of anti-gay musicians, causing Power 105 (a station owned by Clear Channel) to pull its sponsorship of the fest.

NY1, who claims Banton didn't sign the "Reggae Compassionate Act", asked the singer what he had to say to people who say he's promoting hatred. Said Banton: “I would say to them they are ignorant, they are stupid, even though they proclaim to be intelligent."

Gay Rights Activists Protest Lyrics Outside Reggae Festival [ny1]

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As Buju Banton Signs Gay Reggae Act, Beenie Man Tosses it Off [tr]

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Gay Vito Pissed About Pool Cue Pull

Sopranos actor Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mobster Vito Spatafore and up until last week was marketing a pool cue with his name on it by tying it to the long-running show, has hit back at GLAAD after they forced the company manufacturing the cue to pull it from their website.

GLAAD was understandably disturbed by the fact that Gannascoli was marketing what was used as a murder weapon in the series. Gannascoli's character was beaten to death with such a cue and then sodomized with it because he was gay. Gannascoli was marketing the instrument as "a cue to die for".

Neil Giuliano, GLAAD's president, called on Rockwell Billiards to stop selling the item: "It’s highly inappropriate that what served as a very real example of the hateful violence the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community faces is now being used as a gimmick to sell a product. The insensitive inclusion of the pool cue in the ‘To Die For’ marketing theme betrays the legacy of The Sopranos character and is unacceptable."

The company quickly took note.

Said Gannascoli after Rockwell Billiards pulled the cue: "'I'm taking it personal that this has come so far. I'm mad at GLAAD. M-A-A-D.' Gannascoli said GLAAD doesn't care about the abuse he's taken since playing Vito. Sopranos fans have called him names, he said, and he's been attacked in a nightclub. 'In my neighborhood! In Brooklyn! I defended it. I say it's a ... role, morons. It's in every walk of life. Get used to it.'"

Recently...
Sopranos' Gay Vito Markets Murder Weapon That Bludgeoned Him [tr]

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News: Flight from Hell, John Mayer, Grand Tetons, Madonna

Gay man shut out of the estate of his deceased lover of 14 years: "B.C. Supreme Court Justice Marion Allan has ruled 42-year-old Reza Chowdhury has no claim to an East Vancouver home he says he shared with Peter Argenti. The court agrees Mr. Argenti had a 14-year relationship with Mr. Chowdhury but kept it a deep secret, fearing his conservative, Catholic family and friends would never understand if he admitted his homosexuality. Mr. Chowdhury was a refugee from Bangladesh. He says he lived with Mr. Argenti in the home and has a claim to it as a common-law spouse. But the court says there is no indication of a connection between Mr. Chowdhury and anything to do with the house, even though Mr. Chowdhury lived there while managing and cooking at a restaurant owned by Mr. Argenti."

A Socialite's Life steps inside GLAAD's annual summer cocktail fundraiser and finds "Robert Gant ("Queer As Folk"), Wilson Cruz ("Noah's Ark"), Tony Tripoli ("Fashion House"), Jai Rodriquez ("Queer Eye"), Marc Cherry (creator of "Desperate Housewives"), Paul McCullough ("The Next Food Network Star"), Chad Allen ("Save Me"), Honey Labrador ("Queer Eye for the Straight Girl"), Ian Roberts (former pro-rugby player), Reichen Lehmkuhl ("Amazing Race") and Christine Devine (Fox 11 News)."

Stephen Colbert and Richard Branson in on-air water fight: "Branson was apparently upset that he wasn't able to give a direct plug to the new Virgin service and doused Colbert with his guest mug of water. Stephen was drenched. He took a beat, then signalled for his own ammunition for about twenty seconds until Alison (Silverman) ran and gave him her bottle of water, and Stephen retaliated. The two of them sat for a very uncomfortable second looking like two wet cats. Then Stephen thanked him for coming. I really don't think it was planned, since Stephen had another bit to introduce and a full interview left to do. They had to get him a new jacket and even broke out a blowdryer."

The Grand Tetons, Jupiter, and the Milky Way have a three-way.

Passengers aboard a Continental flight threaten to sue after trip from hell: "Because of bad weather, Continental's July 19 Flight 1669 from Caracas, Venezuela, to Newark, N.J., was diverted to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, where it landed at 1:50 p.m. Passengers said after sitting on the grounded plane for hours, they began protesting by banging on overhead compartments, clapping their hands and even signing a petition asking to be let off...At 6:30 p.m., homeland security officers finally allowed passengers to exit the plane, but their troubles didn't end. The officers led them into a room, where they were held for two additional hours. 'We were removed from the plane and were forced to walk single file against the wall, flanked by armed officers one of whom had an attack dog.'"

John Mayer shops till he drops.

Madonna shoots up in front of passengers on transatlantic flight: "Just before landing she brought out the phials of vitamins and injected herself. Seven hours is a long time to go without eating. She was also very quiet and only spoke to the air staff to ask for water."

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GLAAD Changes Course, Opens its Awards to Gay Media

Last spring, media watchdog GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) came under criticism for its policy barring gay media outlets from submitting work for consideration in the annual GLAAD awards.

In a letter to the organization, Here! Networks' Stephen Macias said: "We believe that all gay media companies should be allowed to submit work for consideration. That collective group of LGBT voices in print and online journalism, radio, television, Telco, podcasts, and videocasts are quite literally changing the world. The New Gay Media has grown, matured and in many cases is taking the lead on groundbreaking points of view, yet GLAAD remains entrenched in old 'mainstream' thinking."

GLAAD recently announced the dates for the four media awards ceremonies taking place in 2008, as well as changes that have been made in policies regarding the awards:

"Effective immediately, GLAAD is opening its call for entries and will be accepting submissions for the GLAAD Media Awards on a year-round basis from this point forward. The second change enacted at the Board’s June 2007 meeting is the decision that LGBT media images appearing in media created by and for the LGBT community are now eligible to compete for nomination in the existing categories."

The Huffington Post's Gabriel Rotello adds: "GLAAD's president Neil Giuliano told me his group will accept these submissions in the existing categories, inviting the gay media to compete head-on with the mainstream media rather than in some 'gays-only' category. That's as it should be. The LGBT media have come of age. When it comes to covering the wide spectrum of gay life, gay outlets can, and do, compete with the mainstream media in the breadth of their coverage and programming. They also struggle, and often succeed, in competing with the mainstream media in terms of excellence, despite having a lot less money."

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ABC Tops Networks in New GLAAD LGBT 'Responsibility Index'

Today, GLAAD released a first-ever "Ne