News: Alexi Giannoulias, Pets, Sally Kern, Roger Federer, Beyonce

Duane: New York marriage vote possible this month.

Roger's turn: Federer flaunts his fur.

Cute-ass animal story of the day #1: The 'can't get up' puppy.

Cute-ass animal story of the day #2: Rhodesian Ridgeback adopts baby pig.

DailyKos: The road to marriage equality runs through Maine.

No storms on the horizon for New Orleans 'Southern Decadence' celebration: "In the almost four decades since it started, Southern Decadence has become a traditional Labor Day weekend, end-of-summer, event. But for two of the last four years, hurricanes crashed the French Quarter-centered party. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Gustav last year both generated evacuation orders for the city and brought the festivities to a screeching halt."

Stephen Fry urges Twitter followers to get behind campaign seeking apology for British mathematician Alan Turing.

Sally Kern facing transgender challenger in Oklahoma.

Michael Jackson finally laid to rest 70 days after his death.

Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias comes out for marriage equality, end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "In an interview, Giannoulias said individual states should be able to decide for themselves whether they allow same-sex couples to marry, but that all states should be required to afford legal recognition to same-sex marriages performed in states where they are sanctioned."

Officials: L.A. fire was arson.

Referendum 71 names still under wraps: "Signed petitions seeking a statewide vote on expanded gay partnerships will remain shielded from public view for at least a few more days, while a federal judge decides whether Washington state's public records law could pose a risk to free speech rights."

ESPN commentator and coach Brad Gilbert not into "fruity" tennis outfits.

Fierce lawsuit: Project Runway's Chris March suing Thierry Mugler over Beyoncé tour costumes.

Washington archbishop Donald Wuerl steps up campaign against marriage equality: "Wuerl sent a letter to 300 local Catholic priests Tuesday reminding them about the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, and he launched a round of media interviews to bolster the church's presence in the debate."

John Waters to retire after two more movies...

You'll See: Susan Boyle to cover Madonna  on debut album.

AIDS vaccine hopes revived after discovery of HIV weak spot: "Now, thanks to the antibodies, researchers have realised that the trimer is a viral weak spot because it's indispensable to the virus. So unlike many other targets on the virus, it's shared by many, if not all, strains of HIV. 'The key is the trimer,' says Koff. 'Our hypothesis now is that if you bind to the trimer, you neutralise the virus, as that's how it appears on the surface of the virus.' The antibodies are only a starting point, however, and the race is on now to develop synthetic vaccines that have the same shape as the "weak spot", or epitope, so people receiving vaccinations make antibodies that recognise it when the real virus comes along."

News: Singapore, Sam Adams, Cubs, Matthew Mitcham, GI Joe

Singapore women's group AWARE votes out anti-gay fundamentalist leaders in dramatic seven hour stand-off. Background.

Britain's former top cop and London mayoral candidate Brian Paddick to front campaign encouraging same-sex couples to hold hands in public: "The photos are being used to create a same-sex love map of the world. David Watkins, the group's founder, said: 'Hand holding is a simple, liberating gesture that is essential to our communities' health, visibility, and respect.'" Site: A Day in Hand.

Thousands of Cubs fans go deaf at Wrigley Field.

Log Cabin Republicans making gains in NY assembly on marriage equality.

Matthew Mitcham exits Mexico City as swine flu escalates.

El Salvador in last minute gay rights ban: "After weeks of public debate and protest, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved an amendment to the constitution to ban marriage between same-sex couples and same-sex couples’ ability to adopt a child.  This amendment was proposed in the final hours of the current Legislative Assembly session, which ends April 30th."

L.A. Times: Same-sex marriages gradually gaining legal ground.

Eiffel Tower destroyed in trailer for G.I. Joe: The Movie with Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid.

Loving: this self-portrait of Provincetown resident and filmmaker John Waters at Ptown's McMillan Wharf.

Marc Jacobs to marry in Provincetown.

Dog food vs paté? No difference, much of the time.

The Oregonian calls on Portland Mayor Sam Adams to resign in wake of recent investigations: "An investigation by The Oregonian's Ryan Frank and Brent Walth raised the questions, in a story published Friday, of whether the encounter took place earlier in the year and what it really amounted to. Whether that is the center of the AG's investigation remains to be seen, as does whether any of the conduct described, implied or suspected adds up to criminality." Phone calls...

Male model fix: Joey Kirchner.

Ed Westwick works up a sweat.

Missouri state senator Jolie Justus weds her partner in Iowa.

Manohla Dargis memo to Hollywood: "Enough with the gay slurs, the gay baiting, imitating, limp-wristing, so-not-funny lisping — in other words, enough with the hating...Try this simple test: Every time you feel the need to mock or denigrate gay men or lesbians, replace that joke with an equally vicious dig about African-Americans or Jews. Doesn’t sound so funny anymore, does it?"

Last week in holy crimes...

Miss California: Redefining breasts for the rest of us.

Obama appoints lesbian to become Assistant Secretary, Administration on Aging, at HHS.

AKA accidental wood.

Sweeps warning issued to cottagers: "Sweeps is the time local media often finds itself in bed with the cops to carry out sting operations of men cruising for sex. Just last week we got a report from a Bakersfield, California location where one customer saw not just cop cars and a cop van parked outside, but also a news van for a local television station. I'm sure it was a joint sting in which the media gets to film and photograph those men cops arrest. In fact, I would not be surprised to learn a reporter instigated the whole thing, asking the police to come along so they could get some good footage."

News: David Campos, Rainbow Flag, Amy Balliett, OJ, John Waters

Towleroad has been nominated in the 2008 AfterElton Visibility Awards! Vote for your favorites here.

"Join the Impact" co-founder Amy Balliett's wedding photos.

Oklahoma lesbians denied divorce. Tulsa Beacon: "The bizarre case started when two women, reportedly 'married' in Canada filed for divorce in Tulsa. The divorce document, which had initials instead of first names, didn’t show that the two parties were both women. Cait O’Darling used the name 'C. O’Darling' in filing for the divorce from 'S. O’Darling,' who was later identified as Stephanie Meissen. O’Darling claims they were 'married' in Toronto in 2003. A judge unwittingly granted the divorce, thinking it was a man and a woman. He later vacated that decision and the two women appealed."

Huge crowd shows up for swearing in of new gay San Francisco Supervisor David Campos.

Assailant in election night rainbow flag attack was the legislative aide of Del. Jackson Miller (R-Prince William): "Bryan Fumagalli, 28, was arrested Nov. 22 on two counts of simple assault, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 'I'm very disappointed in his actions,' Miller said today. 'He's being dealt with and being disciplined.' Police say Fumagalli assaulted one of two gay men who were walking outside the Capitol Hilton Hotel to a victory rally near the White House. They say he grabbed a rainbow flag, a gay rights symbol, from one of the men and assaulted him. Fumagalli has a court hearing Jan. 13."

Dog's best friend: Pooch drags injured friend off road.

The RNC actually spent $180,000 for Palin family wardrobe, and she's still wearing it.

O.J. Simpson gets 15 years. He'll serve at least 9.

Prosecutor asks court to rule on the validity of Greek same-sex marriages, which were held on the island of Tilos in June.

Profiles in Marriage: Britney ex Jason Alexander locked up at Los Angeles County Twin Towers prison.

Massachusetts state trooper gives speeding ticket to woman in labor.

South Carolina school principal Eddie Walker, who said he would resign in May over the formation of a gay-straight alliance at his school, has apparently changed his mind.

John Waters names his top films of 2008.

Graham Norton to emcee Eurovision Song Contest.

NPR: Racial divisions challenge gay rights movement.

Cleve Jones on the Feast of Fools podcast.

Christian group demands apology for Prop 8: The Musical.

Slugger: A-Rod and Madonna "just friends."

Hunk du Jour interviews Andrew Oldershaw, who had a hand in making these.

New Zealand neo-Nazi who killed gay man gets second life sentence for murder of South Korean backpacker.

Joe Satriani sues Coldplay for "Viva La Vida" plagiarism.

Prosecutors revisit charges in beating of gay men in Utah: "Salt Lake County prosecutors are taking another look at the case of two gay men who were severely beaten after one of them, David James Bell, allegedly kidnapped a neighbor's children. In August, prosecutors cited a lack of evidence and declined to file assault or burglary charges against the suspects in the attack, who are related to the children. But now, attorneys are again reviewing the beating, particularly the alleged attack on Bell's boyfriend, Dan Fair. Prosecutors are now reviewing the case 'under different theory,' said Deputy District Attorney Alicia Cook. She said no new facts have come to light."

Work on Sequel to Hairspray Begins

New Line has retained John Waters to write a treatment for a sequel to the $200 million+ grossing movie musical Hairspray:

"Planning to return are director-choreographer Adam Shankman, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who will write new songs for the film. No cast has been engaged yet, and none of the stars of 'Hairspray' had sequel options. But the studio hopes to reunite the original cast in a film that will be ready for release by Warner Bros. in mid-July 2010...Aim is to pick up the Baltimore saga of the Turnblad family after the resolution of the first film, which was set in 1962."

Previously
Hairspray: a Review [tr]

McCain Prays For Victory, Clark Shoots Him Down

Meeting with Evangelical idols Billy and Franklin Graham, John McCain returned from the Mount with no tablets—just the heartfelt praise of these old family friends.

Meanwhile, General Wesley Clark—a former presidential contender and a possible Obama running mate—told Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer of McCain:

"Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."

Maybe, but McCain’s captor seems to think it counts for something.

News: Quentin Tarantino, Ugly Dog, Bulgaria, Michelangelo

First-ever "Rainbow Parade" set for Czech Republic: "he National Party (Národní strana) sees the event as a 'pressure on the majority, pressure that is disgusting and awkward, pressure leading to social acceptation of the children being adopted by homosexual couples.' Members of the party are prepared to protest against the march. Police are evaluating potential risks in order to determine what security measures will need to be applied."

Quentin Tarantino accepts Filmmaker on the Edge award from the Provincetown Film Festival. John Waters: "You helped reinvent John Travolta as a man and I reinvented him as a woman."

DAD: Amy Winehouse in first stages of Emphysema.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to officiate today at marriage of American Beauty producer Bruce Cohen to art consultant Gabriel Catone: "After the state Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage last month, Villaraigosa promised to preside at as many ceremonies as possible. But when the ruling took effect last week and other political officials were presiding over same-sex weddings, Villaraigosa was in Israel on a city trip."

Nationalists in Bulgaria plan "Week of Intolerance" in response to upcoming gay parade.

Gay health therapist Michael Shernoff has died at the age of 57, of pancreatic cancer.

Book: Michelangelo hid secret messages in Sistine Chapel attacking the Pope.

Jane Fonda on her first screen test, with Warren Beatty: "At the time I suspected that Warren might be gay, because he was so cute and had so many unusual, intellectual friends. Well, how wrong can you be?"

Brooklyn appellate judges to hear arguments on New York Governor David Paterson's directive to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages: "he case being heard today, Godfrey v. Spano, will consider whether recognition of same-sex marriages first requires approval from the Legislature. So far the Legislature hasn't passed any laws relating to gay marriage. Whatever decision the Brooklyn appeals court reaches in the Godfrey case is sure to be quickly appealed to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals."

Gerard Butler is a fashionista.

Dog named world's ugliest.

Salon bookmark: Gore Vidal's Inconvenient Truths.

Australian city council apologizes to gays for incident that happened 20 years ago.

SF Chronicle columnist's brief encounter with David Beckham: "Beckham is, for lack of a better word, man-tastic. He leans on a stool, wearing a crisp white shirt and silver tie, having just taken off his cream suit jacket. His hair is cut short and simple, ceding attention to his long stubble, which covers his face except for two Band-Aid-size vertical stripes shaved clean on either side of his goatee."

They got him!

The NYT takes a closer look at pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie: "Partly a carnival sideshow and partly a glimpse at shifting sexual tectonics, his image and story powered past traditional definitions of gender and exposed a realm that seemed more than passing strange to some observers — and altogether natural to those who inhabit it. 'This is just a neat human-interest story about a particular couple using the reproductive capabilities they have,' said Mara Kiesling, director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington. 'There’s really nothing remarkable' about the Beatie pregnancy, she said."