News: Leonard Matlovich, Bulgaria, Focus on the Family, Connecticut

Comprehensive Prop 8 Update HERE.

Obama to take presidential radio address to YouTube, beginning this Saturday.

Memorial plaque to civil rights activist Leonard Matlovich to be dedicated tomorrow. From a press release: "The author of a November 12 article in The Washington Post wrote, "His last speech was in the rain in Sacramento, six weeks before he died, and he was hoarse and tired and dying, and he talked about love. A Georgia native who grew up in the military, he had the knack for taking your heart and making it catch for a moment, like the way he announced on national television that he had AIDS. He seemed to make people want to be braver than perhaps they were." The public event will begin at noon, Saturday, November 15th, in the Spencer Andrew Ceremonial Room of San Francisco's LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street at Octavia."

Connecticut: 66 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples since Wednesday. "The state Department of Public Health has received data from 130 of the state's 169 cities and towns so far. A total of 94 licenses were issued Wednesday from those municipalities, including 28 to opposite-sex couples. Public Health Department spokesman William Gerrish says couples have 65 days to have their nuptials 'solemnized' by a minister, justice of the peace or other officiator."

Anderson Cooper visits The Tonight Show - VIDEO.

Ryan Gosling's bringing sexy back.

Focus on the Family planning layoffs.

Swastika and anti-gay slur drawn on Jewish student's locker at Saugus High School in California: "Her son Todd, a 15-year-old sophomore, is Jewish, but he is not gay, she said. 'They were mortified. They were frightened by the experience,' said Marcia Davis, who works as an instructional assistant at Saugus. 'It's not random. Somebody knows he is Jewish and is intentionally doing this.' Lt. Brenda Cambra of the Santa Clarita sheriff's station said the department is investigating the incident as a hate crime."

25-year-old Brazilian sentenced to 27 years in jail for murder of French tourist during Sao Paulo Gay Pride weekend in 2007.

Jared Leto has GQ Style.

Governor of Russian Tambov region cleared of criminal complaint over remarks: "The governor of the Tambov region of Russia has been cleared of charges by an appeals court following an anti-gay outburst reported in the daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda last May. And in a separate, but related case, the Tambov city authorities give the reason that they banned a gay march was because the closure of streets 'breaches the rights of drivers'...'Tolerance? To hell! Faggots must be torn apart and their pieces should be thrown in the wind,' the newspaper reported the Governor as saying."

Entertainment Weekly: Neil Patrick Harris is #25 of top 25 entertainers of the year.

Daniel Craig gets waxed.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Glaciers, Jared Leto, Gay Nursing Home, Kevin Rudd

NYT: Civil unions not enough. "Though such arrangements were created, often under court mandate, with a promise of treating same-sex couples the same as opposite-sex couples, many gays and lesbians say they have not delivered and can never do so because separate institutions are inherently unequal. Many also resent being denied use of the word marriage, which they say carries intangible benefits, prestige and status."

Becks and teammate clutch the family jewels.

First stills of Britney Spears guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother.

Glaciers melting faster than at any time since records began: "The details are revealed in the latest report from the World Glacier Monitoring Service and will add to growing alarm about the rise in sea levels and increased instances of flooding, avalanches and drought. Based on historical records and other evidence, the rate at which the glaciers are melting is also thought to be faster that at any time in the past 5,000 years, said Professor Wilfried Haeberli, director of the monitoring service. 'There's no absolute proof, but nevertheless the evidence is strong: this is really extraordinary.'"

Inside Berlin's Asta Nielsen Haus, the first nursing home in Europe to cater specifically to gays and lesbians: "We just want people to be able to speak freely of their pasts. They shouldn't have to worry about reactions or prejudices. It's simple really: no one should be shocked to go into a man's room and see a picture of another man. No one should have to explain themselves to others at this stage of life."

Halloween in San Francisco's Castro District canceled forever.

Wentworth Miller goes to Jerusalem.

Nun urges Vatican to drop prejudice against gays and lesbians.

Gay Republican runs for seat on Plano, Texas City Council: "Justin Nichols is charting new territory in more ways than one. Nichols, 23, is already the youngest candidate ever to run for Plano City Council. If Nichols wins his race for the Place 1 seat on May 10, he’ll also become the first openly gay member of the body. 'I don’t know that one is harder than the other,' Nichols told Dallas Voice this week. 'I think that each is solved by letting people get to know you.' Nichols also faces a third challenge when it comes to gaining the support of Plano’s small but growing LGBT community: He’s a Republican."

Obama responds to controversial comments of Reverend Jeremiah Wright: "Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country."

Jared Leto packed on the pounds for his role as John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman.

Gay groups picket 'prayer breakfast' hosted by anti-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle: "The featured speaker at the prayer breakfast, Jim Daly, president of the right-wing religious organization Focus on the Family, is among the most aggressive opponents of the gay rights movement. Daly’s organization is one of the primary backers of an anti-gay marriage amendment that goes before voters in November."

Australian PM Kevin Rudd forcing ministerial staff to list history of sexual partners, reveal extra-marital affairs and detail homosexual experiences before gaining security clearance: "More than 300 ministerial and electorate staffers have been ordered to fill in a 25-page form and attend an in-depth interview into their personal finances, drug habits and sexual history before gaining high-level security clearance. Senior staff say they have been told the security form is designed to protect them from blackmail. But several have told The Sunday Telegraph they were affronted at the personal information they had been forced to divulge."

Sphere: Related Content

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #250

STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES: Responds to the Obama 'native garb' photo that Drudge posted yesterday and accomplishes several Republican messaging goals.

THE FARRAKHAN CARD: Tim Russert played it in last night's debate in what some are saying is his lowest moment.

A BEAUTIFUL LIE: Jared Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars shot their latest video 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland.

GARY BUSEY: Not only did Busey attack Jennifer Garner at the Oscars, he showed no tact in his interaction with an 11-year-old reporter.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Impeachment, Jared Leto, Gay World Cup, Robbie Williams

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) raises possibility of Bush impeachment: "The president says, 'I don’t care.' He’s not accountable anymore,' Hagel says, measuring his words by the syllable and his syllables almost by the letter. 'He’s not accountable anymore, which isn’t totally true. You can impeach him, and before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment. I don’t know. It depends how this goes. The conversation beaches itself for a moment on that word — impeachment — spoken by a conservative Republican from a safe Senate seat in a reddish state. It’s barely even whispered among the serious set in Washington, and it rings like a gong in the middle of the sentence, even though it flowed quite naturally out of the conversation he was having about how everybody had abandoned their responsibility to the country, and now there was a war going bad because of it."

Jared Leto's from fat to thin in a twisted Terry Richardson nightmare.

Out of Sync: Lance Bass to pen autobiography.

UK Health Minister announces £40,000 study on why there has been an increase in risky sex among gay men. Caroline Flint: "It is obviously a great concern that there is a persistently high number of HIV transmissions among gay men in the UK - at least 2,400 diagnoses in 2005. The challenge for the NHS and for others promoting gay men's health is how to address the diverse needs of those who have become sexually active in an age of effective HIV treatments, and since the AIDS campaigns of the 1980s."

George Michael hit with additional drug charge.

Canadian radio host suspended after homophobic comment about Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair.

Robbie Willliams finishes rehab, goes clubbing: "According to The Sun, Williams was treated in the Cottonwood clinic in Tucson, one of the toughest rehab centres in the US. Patients share a room with two others and get a 7am wake-up call before a day of detoxing, group therapy sessions and one-on-one counselling. He checked into the rehab clinic on February 13 -his 33rd birthday. Previously he has spoken about his continuing battle with depression and his reliance on anti-depressants."

New Colorado bill submitted that would allow same-sex couples to adopt in that state. Currently only gay individuals are offered that opportunity.

Gay World Cup to be held in Argentina this year.

University of Virginia employees allege discrimination at the gym: "While U.Va. allows the heterosexual spouses of professors and staff to purchase memberships for the recreational centers on campus, it does not allow the partners of gays to receive the same benefit."

Sphere: Related Content

Rosie O'Donnell Blamed for Emergence of the "Man-Bob"

Rosie can't catch a break, can she? Nor can men who choose "emasculating" haircuts, apparently.

TMZ turns its sights on the latest hair-don't sported by Jared Leto, Milo Ventimiglia, Pete Wentz, and AFI's Davey Havok.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Bullies, Dixie Chicks, Blogging Hobbits, Name Game

NBC refuses to air ad for Dixie Chicks, says they "cannot accept [the] spots as they are disparaging to President Bush." Harvey Weinstein issues statement: "It’s a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is now itself being blacklisted by corporate America. The idea that anyone should be penalized for criticizing the president is profoundly un-American." Watch the ad.

Earlier this week I posted about the man-on-man kisses built into the new video game Bully. Now, the Gay Gamer has a guide for those of you who want to make that happen.

UK schools to crack down on homophobic bullying.

Will Stolichnaya's new LOGO documentary series be intoxicating? The vodka maker looks to overthrow Absolut in the gay market by offering 'real' entertainment: "The network made the deal for the advertiser-produced shows because they are 'authentic,' says Logo President Brian Graden. 'We started out with the question, 'Is this good content and something that our audience would like to see?''"

If you're a hobbit who blogs, you best watch out for Jared Leto.

There are 299,968,595 people in the U.S. How many have your name?

Sphere: Related Content

News: Jared Leto, Richard Branson's Fight, Yale Gay Frats

Richard Branson announces he'll give $3 billion to fight global warming. It's the same amount pledged by the most powerful government in the free world.

Roofwalker Jared Leto wants to silence bloggers.

A look at the gay frat brothers of Yale. Student: "I think that it's a testament to the beauty of Yale that it's more of a stigma for you to be in a fraternity, supporting something perceived to be very heteronormative, than for you to be openly gay."

Like many straight men, Christian Slater may be gay after a few beers, according to Jackass's Steve-O: "Steve-O claims that Christian hit on him at a party when he was drunk, and told him he was cute and sexy and asked if he wanted to go with him. Steve-O later talked to Christians ex-wife and she said 'that's what happens when he drinks - he turns gay'."

Anti-gay reggae singer Buju Banton's performance canceled at Hollywood nightclub Highland: "We felt it was the right thing to do after doing some research on the matter."

Sphere: Related Content