News: Maine, Carmen Rupe, Poison, Scott Fujita, Algae, Lady Gaga

Maine feels isolated in marriage equality battle. Help them out here.

Bio-fuel algae high-rise ascends in Boston.

Bitch-slapped over wood: bring this gay interior design duo to America!

Tom Ford's A Single Man to open in limited release on December 11.

The NYT profiles AIDS activist Sean Strub.

Gay divorce case: Right-wing Texans valiantly try to preserve a same-sex marriage. "As Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry says, 'the irony is that the antigay forces are so opposed to gay relationships they won’t even let us out of them.’'"

T.R. Knight talks about Parade and life after Grey's Anatomy: "I just want to be lucky enough to work, and to work with people I admire. I love acting. I love doing work that is challenging -- and slightly terrifying."

Zac Efron twinks out on Nylon Guys magazine.

Carmen Rupe, New Zealand's top drag queen, turns 74: "She opened a string of businesses throughout Wellington - coffee lounges, nightclubs and brothels. But for the first time, they were places that were openly gay and indiscriminating. 'Treated everyone the same, no one was better than the other, whether you were socialite society or down the gutter you know you're all the same to me,' says Carmen."

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry talks to Out & Equal Workplace Advocates in Florida.

Viggo Mortensen steps out with his murse.

Taylor Lautner gets wet and shirtless for Rolling Stone.

Lady Gaga gets an eye job.

More on Cheyenne Jackson and 30 Rock.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita is not only a friend to the gays, he's also a shirtless stud.

How gay PR man Howard Bragman helps actors say, "I'm gay."

Poison plot in the UK: "A gay man tried to poison his lesbian neighbours by putting slug pellets into their curry after he was accused of kidnapping their three-legged cat. Gary Stewart, 37, had been at loggerheads with Marie Walton and Beverley Sales for months. But things looked brighter when he made a peace offering of some curry, claiming he had ordered too much from the Indian takeaway. When the women started to eat, they found the curry studded with slug pellets. They called the police and Stewart was arrested."

Maine education commissioner asks Attorney General to settle whether the state's marriage equality law will affect schools: “The commissioner felt it would be helpful to put this issue to rest."

News: Hate Crimes, Whitney Houston, Volcanoes, Taylor Lautner

Outlook improves for hate crimes bill?

Some really hot volcanoes.

I Look To You: Whitney Houston unleashes new album cover.

Transgender woman attacked by two men in Queens. Men face felony hate crime charges: "The victim, Carmella Etienne, told police the two assailants chased her down last week near the intersection of 199th Street and 116th Avenue while throwing rocks and bottles, yelling slurs and threatening to kill her."

One person dead, several injured after Madonna's tour stage collapses in Marseille, France.

Howard Bragman on the "Hollywood machine" that keeps actors closeted: "It's not in an agent's interest to tell a client to come out of the closet. They don't want to shake things up. Because, in the end, it's all about money, and they don't want anything to hurt the bottom line."

Former Portland Mayor Tom Potter explains why he's backing recall of Sam Adams: "...during his time as City Commissioner and Mayor, Sam Adams has demonstrated his serious lack of judgment, a complete lack of integrity, his serial lying to win an election and his callous disregard for others.  What this issue is about for me is the mayor's attempt to deny and cover up his actions."

San Diego News Network talks to Cleve Jones.

International Mr. Leather President Chuck Renslow bans barebacking vendors, videos and paraphenalia from 2010 IML Event.

Shia LaBeouf heads out for a shirtless jog.

GLAAD to step up efforts to thwart hate speech in online gaming: "This Saturday, Electronic Arts is hosting a panel discussion on the topic and will look at what gaming companies can do to limit this behavior, create more gay-friendly games and educate gamers about the need for more sensitivity. Justin Cole, director of digital and online media at GLAAD and the panel moderator, said the problem is widespread among online gamers."

Bay Area Reporter: LGBT gamers fight online closets.

Mystery goo moves through sea in Alaska: "The Coast Guard is sure the mystery gunk is a biological creation and has ruled out an oil spill or hazardous substance. But the goo remains a puzzle, as Alaskans can’t remember seeing anything similar before, the ADN reported.

Taylor Lautner for Interview magazine.

How hetero is your Twitter?

Trevor Project named favorite LGBT non-profit in poll.

Episcopal Church takes a step forward in voting to consider blessings for recognizing same-sex marriages.

MSNBC: Silly Hillary.

The Horror: Dolce and Gabbana give Madonna and Whitney Houston the same dress to wear on the very same night.

Tsunami "shadows" may offer early warning of danger to coastal areas.

WWE Champ Batista needs no water wings.

ILGA Europe executive director Dirk De Meirleir leaves abruptly: "The sudden departure was announced in a short email from ILGA-Europe’s executive board to its membership, partners and funders.  A copy of the email was obtained by UK Gay News. It read:  'The Executive Board of ILGA-Europe would like to inform ILGA-Europe membership, partners and funders that the employment of Dirk De Meirleir as Executive Director of ILGA-Europe has ended. The Executive Board wishes Dirk De Meirleir all the best in his future career. The Executive Board in the coming month will proceed with the recruitment process of a new Executive Director. The Board and the management team have set up a deputising system which will enable effective day-to-day management and running of the organisation."

News: Prop 8, Howard Bragman, Fin Whale, Heath Ledger, Earth

Dozens of amicus briefs (Google, California Council of Churches, California NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and California Rural Legal Assistance) submitted in massive push against Proposition 8.

Massive Fin Whale perishes on Irish beach.

Some stunning shots of our beautiful planet.

Mom unhappy after finding Butt at American Apparel: "Trina Campbell told CBC News on Tuesday she and her 13-year-old daughter saw the magazine sticking out of a backpack on display inside the American Apparel outlet at the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver. 'I pulled it out and I went to open it and it flipped open to a double-page spread of two men having full-on sexual activity, not just suggestive,' Campbell said. 'I don't think this is something that the average person wants to see unless they're ready or going out of the way to see it.'" Although she apparently left the store with her own copy.

John McCain kills Cindy's Dancing with the Stars dream.

DNC settles lawsuit with gay outreach director Donald Hitchcock: "Hitchcock, former director of the Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, filed suit on April 17, 2007 in Washington DC Superior Court after his termination, which he charged was in retaliation for criticism of the party by his partner, party activist Paul Yandura, in April 2006. Yandura's open letter criticized the matter in which donations from gay Democrats were being used, particularly how he felt that the party's interest in the LGBT community was limited to their financial contributions."

Inside the Chateau Marmont party for PR guru Howard Bragman's new book Where's My Fifteen Minutes?

Gossip Girl spin-off to feature younger versions of the show's older characters, set in the 80's.

Gay Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate Earl Rynerson, who is running on a 'bloated budget' platform, under magnifying glass over his past personal expenses.

STUDY: Coffee reduces Alzheimer's risk.

Showtime confirms spin-off to The L Word. SPOILER: Will follow character Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) in prison. "Famke Janssen ('Nip/Tuck') guest stars in the first episode, along with Melissa Leo ('Frozen River') and Laurie Metcalf ('Roseanne') who appear as prison guards. 'It's not all lesbians like 'The L Word,'' Greenblatt says. 'It is more of a sort of mixed group of female characters, some of whom are lesbians. It is not as dark as 'Oz.' There have been a lot of female prison shows over the years that have been campy. This is not campy.' The working title is 'The Farm,' he says. "

Was the winner of The Bachelor revealed in the show's preview?

David Beckham hitches on to the droopy drawers trend.

Ledger's last days.

New "superdrug" in the works to combat HIV/AIDS.

NBC's Southland series to include gay cop.

iTunes offering two free Sundance LGBT short films.

Could the lead in Gus van Sant's adaptation of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test be Jack Black: "'Unfortunately, Heath Ledger was a pretty obvious choice, and he’s gone,' Van Sant told MTV News in an exclusive interview. But who else could play zany philosopher-king and 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest' author Kesey? 'There’s the opportunity that it could be Jack Black,' says Van Sant, hinting the film might possibly take on a more comedic feel. At the moment, though, the 'Milk' director is awaiting the initial draft of the screenplay, which is being penned by 'Milk' scriptwriter Dustin Lance Black. 'He’s cracking the nut,' Van Sant tells us. 'I’m not sitting with him every day. I probably should think about doing that, but I haven’t seen the first draft yet. I hope he cracks it. There are many ways to crack it.'"

News: Lake Michigan, NASA, Richard Gere, Broadway, Steve Jobs

D.C. Mayor Fenty to meet with Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) over increase in anti-gay bias crimes on January 16th.

Is there an ancient Stonehenge at the bottom of Lake Michigan?

Richard Gere frolics in the surf.

Toronto-area man shot after homophobic altercation at massage parlor.

Three men in custody following drunken air rage flight from Manchester UK to the Dominican Republic: "The trio were allegedly drunk, violent and abusive and the captain was so concerned about fighting on board that he had to divert and land in Bermuda. A 35-year-old man from Burnley, Lancashire, was arrested at Gatwick airport after being returned from Bermuda. He was arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft and is currently in custody at Crawley police station. The two other men are still in custody in Bermuda and are due to be flown back to the UK in the next few days. Police said the men would all be questioned about alleged homophobic public order offences, affray and smoking on board the plane."

Obama to tear down wall between NASA and Pentagon in face of Chinese space race?

Michael Phelps putting himself in a hairy situation.

Athletic new street artist covers New York.

UK MP and shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert in civil partnership with longtime boyfriend Jason Eades.

Clive Davis plays a very brief clip of a demo of Kelly Clarkson's next single, "My Life Would Suck Without You."

PR Maven Howard Bragman warns Caroline Kennedy to dig deep before tearing down that wall of privacy she's built her whole life: "I don't like to be too simplistic but you either love life in the public eye or you don't. I don't believe she does. One celebrity once said that privacy is like your health--you take it for granted until you no longer have it. She is putting something she worked hard to create at great risk. Once her wall between public and private comes down, there's no turning back."

University of Texas-Austin students working on legitimizing second gay fraternity in Texas: "They will become an official fraternity chapter after initiating three pledge classes. They inducted their first class in November."

Broadway bloodbath: Nine shows shutter due to recession.

Milo Ventimiglia bares it in Bora Bora.

Rare sea creatures come ashore on north Oregon coast.

Croatian woman sent to "ex-gay" therapy treatment center for five years: "Parents sent Rijeka-born Ana Dragicevic (21) to a mental institution in Lopac when she was 16, stating heroin addiction as the reason. Because she spent five years in hospital, she did not gradate and still has nightmares as a consequence...Ana was bound, she put on straight jackets, she was given injections, pills. The girl was in the same ward as schizophrenic patients, whom she was afraid due to their aggression."

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces he's losing weight due to a hormone imbalance.

Courtney Love is desperately seeking something.

Lesbian gang rape in Richmond highlights anti-gay violence and the need for victims to report it: "'The only way we know about (the Richmond) case is because of the bravery of the survivor coming out,' Virago said. 'Hatred and bias are a routine occurrence for many LGBT people.' That may partly be due to the psychology behind hate crimes, particularly those involving sexual orientation, said a psychology professor at St. Mary's College in Moraga. 'What you get is this kind of immature desire to display power,' said Jose Feito. 'And so they go looking for easy victims, or suitable victims.' In the Richmond case, Feito said, 'suitable' meant someone the attackers could marginalize in their minds. Sexual orientation can serve as a hate crime's 'trigger,' as he called it. But it is often that factor combined with a perception of gender nonconformity that leads to violence, he said."

Howard Bragman on Al Reynolds' 'I'm Not Gay' Moment

It's odd to discuss a PR agent's marriage to his male partner and the dissolution of his client's (who continually denies that he's gay) marriage in the same post, but the two came together yesterday in an MSNBC interview.

Howard Bragman, who represents Al Reynolds, talked to MSNBC about the reasons behind the decision to post three interviews on YouTube yesterday in which Reynolds denies he is a 'homosexual' and discusses his marriage to Star Jones and his life passions.

Said Bragman of the decision to post the videos interview-style with a journalist: "It wasn't a hypothetical worry. It was a genuine worry. because so much of what has been written and covered by the mainstream media has been inaccurate and sensational that we wanted to tone it down while at the same time respecting journalism and asking the tough questions, so I think we reached a very good balance there."

In other marriage news, Bragman wed his longtime partner Chuck O'Donnell on Monday in a private ceremony officiated by West Hollywood mayor Jeffrey Prang. At the end of his MSNBC interview, he urged voters to vote against Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Congrats to Bragman and O'Donnell!

One another note via Outsports is that Bragman's client Isaiah Washington made a contribution to the fight against Prop. 8 in lieu of a wedding gift to his PR agent, which was a specific request Bragman made to all those who wished to offer their gifts and/or wishes.

I've clipped the entire MSNBC interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Showbiz Tonight Covers 'Ellen's Marriage Mania'

CNN's Showbiz Tonight covers "Ellen's Marriage Mania" and Wendy Wright of the Concerned Women for America and gay PR man Howard Bragman, who announced that he's marrying his partner, face off.

"Why do you care so much about what other people do in their bedrooms?"

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...