News: Ken Cuccinelli, Detroit, Rumer Willis, Malaysia, Britney Spears

Gay Detroit City Council candidate Charles Pugh under scrutiny after Detroit Free Press pulls endorsement because of foreclosure on condominium.

Kathie Lee Gifford as a gay droid for Halloween.

Watch: Britney Spears' new video for "3".

Homophobic bigot Randy Thomasson is urging his followers to call schools and school boards and force them to erase Harvey Milk Day from their curricula.

NYT looks at Annise Parker's race to be the mayor of Houston, Texas: “I always told voters the truth. There is an element of, ‘Well, if she will tell us the truth about her sexual orientation she will tell us the truth about anything.’”

LOL: ChristWire on how the Golden Girls turned an entire generation of American boys gay.

WATCH: Brand new trailer for James Cameron's Avatar, starring Sam Worthington.

ICANN votes to liberalize country web domains: "This means that in a few months, folks will finally be able to type URLs in languages using non-Latin alphabets. For instance, in China, websites will be able soon be in Chinese; in the Middle East they might be in Arabic or Hebrew; in Greece in Greek letters, Russia in Russian letters."

Pete Wentz got a tattoo of Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta on his leg.

Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire draws 18-foot mural of New York City from memory after 20 minute helicopter ride.

Body 2 Body: Malaysian queer anthology is first of its kind.

Rumer Willis to play a lesbian on 90210: "This isn't a fling. We're coming at this [relationship] from a genuine place and not going, 'Let's do a titillating story that will grab some promotion.' This is a real aspect of teenager life that's interesting...And there's been a real void in the 90210 universe in terms of gay and bisexual characters."

Indiewire looks at this year's gay Oscar hopes: "This year could also find as many as three best pictures helmed by gay men. In addition to 'A Single Man,' there’s Rob Marshall’s 'Nine,' and Lee Daniels’ 'Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,' the latter of which also features a major gay character.  What I think is really interesting here - and what speaks volumes to social systems in behind-the-scenes Hollywood - is Lee Daniels’s prospective nomination.  If he gets nominated for best director, it would be much more monumental because he is African-American than it would be because he is openly gay."

Twilight's hunk wolf Alex Meraz takes it off.

First look: Cheyenne Jackson on 30 Rock.

The Real World: Starship Enterprise.

Birmingham school board enacts LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying policy.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli: "My view is that homosexual acts, not homosexuality, but homosexual acts are wrong. They’re intrinsically wrong. And I think in a natural law based country it’s appropriate to have policies that reflect that. ... They don’t comport with natural law. I happen to think that it represents (to put it politely; I need my thesaurus to be polite) behavior that is not healthy to an individual and in aggregate is not healthy to society."

Ever want to hear from a Tired Old Queen who loves movies? Here's your chance.

True Life: MTV looking for athete coming out stories.

Esera Tuaolo on Larry Johnson's "faggot" slur: "What is also crippling to an athlete is hearing slurs like that thrown around like it's just the thing to do. When you use (gay slurs) and you use it in a negative term, it's the same as calling a woman a (expletive). Or the same as calling an African-American the (expletive). It's demeaning to another human being. And it's not right."

Harvey Milk, Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi in Massive SF Mural

What's being described as "the world's largest mural portrait" is set to be unveiled on Sunday at the Bob Pritikin Mansion in San Francisco's Noe Valley.

Fog City Journal reports: "The colorful mural by acclaimed artist Guy Colwell features Speaker Nancy Pelosi lancing a Republican elephant; a terminating Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger patting the back of a grizzly bear; Senator Dianne Feinstein bearing the California State flag; Mayor Gavin Newsom performing a same-sex marriage ceremony; former Mayor Willie Brown brandishing a hanging freshly pressed suit; former Board of Supervisors President Angela Alioto donning angel wings outside the Porziuncola Chapel in North Beach (an endeavor Pritikin helped to promote); a singing former Supervisor Tony Hall; former Supervisor Harvey Milk holding a Castro Rainbow Flag with former Mayor George Moscone by his side; actress Marilyn Monroe hugging baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio on the back of a giraffe; San Francisco Chronicle legend Herb Caen; actress Carol Channing; Emperor Norton; Jerry Garcia; topless stripper Carol Doda; Willie Mayes and Mark Twain, as well as the Zodiac killer, Jim Jones and Huey Newton - all set against an iconic San Francisco skyline."

The mural is 50 x 18 ft. The Pritikin mansion (some interesting photos here) is said to be San Francisco's largest.

News: Outrage, Eric Brewer, Crocs, Serbia, Mark Foley, Germany

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized, released...

Dear Harvey: Play about Harvey Milk opens at San Diego State.

Eric Brewer, Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio, in women's lingerie photo scandal.

Kept: Reality show about NYC gays to be a reality.

Outrage (see my write-up here) is coming to HBO on October 5.

UK gay man targeted in blackmail scam: "The 49-year-old had arranged to meet a man in the town through a known gay social networking website. But when the victim arrived he was approached by men posing as police officers who demanded a 'fine' and took his bank card. It later emerged £200 in cash was taken from the man's bank account, which was used to buy a mountain bike, alcohol and cigarettes."

London, Ontario 'football hero', allegedly responsible for gay bashing of modeling agent Brandon Wright, has been arrested at the airport.

Rabbi: No Crocs on Yom Kippur.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram talks to one of the gay brothers on this season's Amazing Race, which premieres on Sunday.

Brad Pitt joins Bill Clinton's Global Initiative.

Mark Foley hits the airwaves in South Florida.

Mysterious "lump" spotted forming around nearby star.

Mother of Ryan Keith Skipper speaks at Florida Hate Crimes Awareness Summit: "You may relive your pain, but you also relive your love. It keeps Ryan's memory alive and to me, that's an important thing. I don't want his death to have been in vain."

Reese Witherspoon ring sparks whispers of Gyllenhaal engagement.

Brokeback Mountain actor arrested for skipping out on hotel bill.

Carrie Prejean: Scantily-clad Halloween costume model.

UK teacher suspended after students found photos of him posing on a gay porn website.

Openly gay man tipped to be Angela Merkel's Foreign Minister in Germany. "[Can] a gay man, who sometimes takes his partner on official overseas trips, can function as a foreign minister. Could there, for instance, be snubs from President Ahmadinejad (who, after the execution of two gay men, told a Western audience: “We don’t have homosexuals, as in your country.”). Or jokes from Silvio Berlusconi (whose supporters recently used homosexuality claims to get rid of a critical editor)?"

Serbian prosecutor calls for ban on hate groups that caused cancellation of Belgrade's Pride parade: "Serbian authorities withdrew approval for gay activists to hold a rally in central Belgrade on Saturday after soccer hooligans and the extremist groups Obraz (Face) and Association 1398 threatened to attack the parade. 'The two groups were identified as those which must be outlawed immediately,' prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic told B92 television."

Hillary Clinton on international violence against LGBT people: "We are starting to track violence against the LGBT community, because where it happens anywhere in the world, the United States must speak out against it and work for its end. Through our annual human rights report, we are documenting human rights abuses against LGBT communities worldwide. And we are seeking out partners at the United Nations such as Brazil, France, Sweden and the Netherlands to help us address these human rights abuses."

News: Boston Red Sox, Joy Behar, Salt Lake City, John Travolta

Rep. Steve King (R-IA): Same-sex marriage part of push for socialism.

UN to get visit from WBC.

DreamWorks and Showtime to chronicle development of a Broadway musical, from inception to opening night: "Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who are well versed in adapting tuners for the big- and smallscreen, are in negotiations to join the project, as are tunesmiths Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. DreamWorks TV toppers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank are shepherding the project with Spielberg."

Today in deep-fried pareidolia.

Celebrities band together to protect insurance companies.

Two popular gay venues in Sydney to close — The Midnight Shift and The Flinders Hotel.

AfterElton talks to Modern Family's gay dads, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.

Joy Behar to Ukraine: Let Elton adopt. "Mr. Pavlenko, here are some tips about family, youth and sports. Family doesn't mean a huddle of orphans sharing a few soiled mattresses, it's not youth if you die of AIDS before you reach kindergarten, and wrestling over dinner scraps is not a sport. But that could be Lev's fate now, because the Ukrainian government said Elton and his beau David Furnish are too old to adopt the boy. It sounds like the real reason is they're too gay."

White House to see picket line on weekend of National Equality March?

Courier: Microsoft's tablet computer?

Neil Patrick Harris lights up for new photo shoot.

Orange County Board of Education opposes 'Harvey Milk Day': "The addition of commemorative exercises reduces important classroom time in core subject areas. Instructional time is at a premium and students cannot afford to lose quality educational time."

Tom Ford seeks $50 million investment.

Man gets life sentence for gang rape and murder of South African lesbian track star Eudy Simelane: "Ms Simelane was approached after leaving a pub and robbed of her mobile, trainers and cash. She died from wounds to the abdomen after being gang raped and stabbed 12 times. Her naked body was dragged towards a stream and dumped." Two others were acquitted.

Boston Red Sox rookies hazed in drag.

70th anniversary: The history and promises behind The Wizard of Oz. "What's also rather striking, especially considering its suffragette heritage, is the way the film and Garland became such an iconic part of the gay movement. I'm not going to pretend that I know very much about the current iconography within the gay and lesbian community, but I know that the film used to represent acceptance and a fervent belief that things could (and would) be better."

John Travolta takes the stand in extortion trial.

Trial underway for gay Salt Lake City man beaten by his neighbors after removing their children from a rowdy party they were having: "She claimed the children were in and out of Latu's home during the party and said the parents were guilty of child neglect. 'No one was supervising these kids,' Gustin told jurors. She suggested that when Latu found her daughter and nephew missing, 'she needed someone to blame' and picked Bell. Bell was dragged from his home by his then-shoulder length hair and his head was repeatedly smashed against the pavement, Gustin said. Blood was oozing from his right ear and he still suffers hearing loss, she said. Someone used a piece of broken glass to cut Bell's throat, chest and one of his toes. Bell's partner, Fair, also was beaten, and a large TV was thrown onto his head."

Rachel Maddow and Cleve Jones Discuss Pelosi's Violence Warning

Activist Cleve Jones appeared on Rachel Maddow's show last night to discuss Nancy Pelosi's warning about the specter of political violence, Harvey Milk, and members of the GOP like John Boehner, who appear to be condoning the activities with intent to escalate the situation.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Pelosi References Harvey Milk in Violence Warning to House GOP

UPDATED WITH VIDEO

Nancy Pelosi reportedly choked up and got "teary-eyed" at her weekly press conference today when discussing the hostile political climate in which the nation finds itself today, and referenced the assassination of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and George Moscone.

Said Pelosi:

"The balance between freedom and safety is one that we have to carefully balance. … I have some concerns about some of the language being used, because I saw this myself in the late 70s in San Francisco; this kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it created a climate where violence took place. I wish that we could all curb our enthusiasm in the statements that we make and understand that some of the ears that it's falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume...Again our country is based on people being able to say what they believe, but I also believe they must take responsibility for any incitement they may cause."

Politico: "A top Pelosi aide later confirmed reporters' suggestions that her statement was likely a reference to the City Hall murder of gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in Nov. 1978 — an earth-shattering experience for Bay Area Democrats like the speaker."

Video, AFTER THE JUMP...