News: Donal Og Cusack, Ecuador, Magic Johnson, HPV, Jared Polis

Here Media chairman Stephen Jarchow on Gay.com purchase and expanding "empire": "As the result of this deal, we have become a unique company that straddles traditional distribution and digital distribution. We own pretty much the entire media for the gay marketing space."

Irish hurler Donal Óg Cusack gives his first public interview since coming out.

Michael Jackson wears Tom Ford cologne and speaks to LaToya from beyond the grave.

Matt Foreman: TV ads not the answer in Maine.

Brad Pitt in motorcycle fender-bender.

Rep. Jared Polis holds LGBT town hall in Denver.

"All of us old junkies just turn into dowagers." Carrie Fisher gives a candid interview to Kevin Sessums at The Daily Beast.

NYT: Timing key in Olson-Boies Prop 8 challenge: "Mr. Olson’s problem, then, is that he may reach the Supreme Court too soon. Public support for same-sex marriage is gaining ground, particularly among younger people. But a majority of Americans remains opposed to the practice."

Charlize Theron kisses woman for $140,000 at San Francisco auction benefit.

Beckham embracing the werewolf trend.

Diocese of South Carolina distances itself from Episcopal Church over gays and same-sex unions: "Eighty-seven clergy members voted to pass the resolution after a nearly hour-long debate during a special convention in Mount Pleasant, Canon Kendall Harmon said, with 17 voting no. The vote allows leaders of the diocese to reduce its participation in the national church without severing ties completely, as some dioceses and parishes have."

NYPD cars retrofitted with "rumble" technology.

Roadblocks to HPV vaccine for men continue...

Nude coffee maker Eric Williamson defends himself after incident: "I looked straight at the cops and said, 'You're telling me that none of you guys have ever walked across your kitchen or run to the laundry room to get some pants?' I was treated like an animal. If there was something offensive, would not a knock on the door and heads-up suffice?"

First look: Lady Gaga on Gossip Girl.

Male model fix: Andre Ziehe.

Food critic slammed by animal rights groups for shooting "inedible" baboon for sport: "Writing in yesterday's Sunday Times Style section, Gill said he was driven by the urge to be a 'recreational primate killer' while on a trip to Tanzania. 'I know perfectly well there is absolutely no excuse for this,' he wrote. 'Baboon isn't good to eat, unless you're a leopard. The feeble argument for cull and control is much the same as for foxes: a veil of naughty fun.'"

Gay Iowa couples reflect on six months of marriage.

Transgender makeovers offered on busy Quito, Ecuador street.

College of William and Mary names transgender homecoming queen: “We figured it would be something different for the school to go through, something that hasn’t happened too often. I was kind of surprised that I won because I knew the other girls running. I know that they’re really friendly; they’re wonderful people, so I was unsure.”

Book: Magic Johnson blames Isiah Thomas for gay rumors.

Morrissey discharged from hospital following weekend stage collapse.

Washington man gets 18 months in prison for gay immigration fraud: "Steven Mahoney touted himself as an expert in immigration affairs and ran Mahoney and Associates in Kent, which advised immigrants on how to stay in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in April, acknowledging that between 1998 and 2007 he filed as many as 99 false immigration documents and was paid between $1,000 and $4,000 for each."

News: Meghan McCain, India, Alan Cumming, Joe Solmonese, Boyzone

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese suggests that the time frame in his 2017 letter can be seen as a "narrow window" in the scope of the gay rights movement.

Straight Italian couple sues cruise company after showing up for their vacation to discover they were departing on Italy's first gay cruise: "My clients were also left embarrassed because among the passengers were people they knew and had no idea that were gay, which was uncomfortable for all parties."

Gay Al is feeling tender.

Iowa NAACP President announces support for anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats.

Report: Iran hanged a man last week for gay sodomy.

Gay activists plan kiss-in at Fort Worth Stockyards: "The kissing booth will be on Exchange Street, right in the heart of the Stockyards and its bound to stir up controversy. In fact, one old cowboy has been quoted as warning gays that if they are not careful, they might be in for a whuppin'."

Dan Savage has never slept with Janet Napolitano.

A Spice Girls musical?

Gus van Sant and Bret Easton Ellis collaborating on film adaptation of Vanity Fair article "The Golden Suicides".

Gujarat state in India becomes home to the country's first elderly home for gay men: "The brainchild of Manvendra Singh Gohil, popularly known as India's gay prince, the project will be ready to accommodate elderly homosexuals by the end of the year. Manvendra Singh Gohil says, 'We will offer food, drinks and medical facilities for the people staying here, it will be their home.' The Rs 25-crore project will be home to 50 elderly gay men to start with. Requests for accommodation have already started trickling in."

Alan Cumming in new photo shoot from David LaChapelle.

Gecko madness!

Boyzone to hold Stephen Gately vigil on night before the funeral: "Grieving Boyzone bandmates plan to stay in the church with Stephen Gately's body the night before his funeral. Ronan Keating, 32, Mikey Graham, 37, Shane Lynch, 33, and Keith Duffy, 35, have taken the decision because Gately 'would not want to be there on his own', a source close to the group revealed."

No! Mia Michaels quits So You Think You Can Dance.

Passerby mistakenly frees female killer of London gay man: "Police are looking for three young people including two blonde teenagers who were caught on CCTV arguing with Baynham and his 30-year-old companion. The victim's friend grabbed one of the girls, receiving cuts and bruises in the process, but the girl was freed by members of the public who wrongly thought she was being assaulted, said Detective Chief Inspector Clive Heys, who is leading the inquiry."

Britney Spears shoots video for new single "3".

Meghan McCain creates Twitter furor with cleavage photo.

Muslim football team kicked out of league for refusing to play gay team.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler: Repeal DOMA now.

Lesbian says she was the victim of a hate crime at the National Equality March.

Bishop Gene Robinson will be appearing tonight at an event in Portland, Maine: "Join us for an evening of edification and education as we gather to worship God and to hear the words of the Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. Sponsored by the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination, the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine, Rev. Ann Fowler, the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, the Equity Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, and Integrity Maine"

Iowa Gays Plug State's Equality Perks at California Disneyland Event

Representatives for three regional tourist bureaus in Iowa were at Disneyland in Anaheim this weekend for the Gay Days event there, urging Southern California gays to relocate to the Hawkeye State:

"At the booth set up inside Disney’s Grand Californian hotel, gay and lesbian couples sampled wedding cake and posed for photos inside a frame that read, 'Just Married … In Iowa City!' The Iowa representatives took the free photos and supplied the tuxedo jackets and bridal veils. They also handed out brochures touting Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Coralville, among other cities. 'We want people to know that if the California Legislature is unwilling to take the step to give gay couples the right to marry, then please consider coming to Iowa where we will gladly welcome you with open arms,' said Joe Jennison, executive director of the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance."

News: Nevada, Sarah Palin, Donuts, National Parks, Tammy Baldwin

Nevada issues first domestic partnership certificates.

Jeffrey S. Crowley, the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy: Website to accept public input through November 13 on National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Harper Collins out gay marketer Jonathan Burnham hired virulent homophobe Lynn Vincent to ghost write Sarah Palin's new book: "The Palin book, moreover, is clearly being styled as a work of polemic, appealing to the Christianist base, thereby fanning homophobia, and empowering those who would like nothing more than to push gay people back into the closet, out of marriage, out of the military, and out of the workplace. Burnham is now directly party to this effort."

Tom Cruise will do his own stunts.

Chair of the Iowa chapter of Marriage Equality USA arrested for embezzlement; Phyllis Stevens and partner donated money to progressive and LGBT causes.

Man arrested at Apple store after threatening to shoot his iPhone with a gun.

McCain strategist Steve Schmidt on Palin 2012: "I think that she has talents, but my honest view is that she would not be a winning candidate for the Republican Party in 2012, and in fact, were she to be the nominee, we would have a catastrophic election result."

First look: George Takei and Brad Altman on The Newlywed Game.

Bet you never thought you could play Ohio like a piano. Instrument.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS launches new website.

AfterElton interviews Sam and Dan McMillen from The Amazing Race.

Revisiting Mark Salling's shirtlessness on Glee.

Homophobic donut shop owner in Pittsburgh airs his views: "This crowd will not rest until Homosexuality is mainstream; until the Second Amendment is done away with; until abortion on demand is as common and accepted as going to the dentist; until sexual images and strip clubs line our streets and suburbs; until government education is started in the womb; until disagreement with their political party is “hate speech” and becomes a crime..".

Mariah Carey hits Rockefeller Center for the Today show.

This land is your land: The National Parks go interactive.

Dear Abby: Out gay man runs into his closeted straight past on Facebook.

Helen Thomas digs in.

Record crowd expected for Fort Worth Pride this weekend in wake of Rainbow Lounge raid.

Catholic Bishop on the lam over child porn charges is arrested by Canadian border guards.

Are anti-gay forces in Washington state waiting until the last minute for a well-funded media barrage on Referendum 71?

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduces new AIDS legislation: "Baldwin's new legislation, 'The Ryan White Grantee Payment Equity Act' (H.R. 3665), would authorize increased Medicaid funding to health care providers. The HIV/AIDS population would benefit from a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate. A higher rate would enable clinics to expand operations and care for the growing number of people living with the disease."

Listen: Iowa Rep. Steve King Says Gay Marriage a Step to Socialism

Yesterday, I mentioned briefly that Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said that same-sex marriage was part of a larger socialist agenda by left-wing forces in the country.

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

Said King in a radio interview with WingNutDaily: "So in the end this is something that has to come with a, if there’s a push for a socialist society, a society where the foundations of individual rights and liberties are undermined and everybody is thrown together, living collectively off of one pot of resources earned by everyone. That is, this is one of the goals they have to go to is same-sex marriage because it has to plow through marriage in order to get to their goal. They want public affirmation. They want access to public funds and resources. Eventually all those resources will be pooled because that’s the direction we’re going. And not only is it a radical social idea, it is a purely socialist concept in the final analysis."

Now there's audio of the interview, in which King freaks out that Iowa has become a "Mecca for same-sex marriage" and warns that group marriages can only be so far behind.

King also invokes Rick Santorum: "And I, and I just would extend that rationale and argue this, that if marriage is something other than union between one man and one woman. If it can be, if the argument is that there’s an equal protection law, if there’s a right to same-sex marriage, if that right exists then that means Rick Santorum was right. The right also exists for any other relationship that one might argue. Then there would exist no ban, no rational foundation to prohibit incest, for example, between father and a son or a daughter or a mother and a son or daughter, for example or brothers and sisters."

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

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."