News: Scott Fujita, Female Todd Akin, Sink Hole 'Abnormal Sexual Oriented'

"The evolution of the nation's 'first gay president'"

Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita thinks most NFL players will have no problem with an out and proud teammate. "I would argue that the overwhelming majority would be fine with having a teammate who was gay... Once a guy comes out, yeah, it'll be very newsworthy. It'll be a huge, huge breakthrough and then it'll be another one and another one and another one. Then it'll be just another guy in the locker room."

But there are still plenty of hurdles for gay athletes to overcome.

The ACLU had no choice but to defend a Connecticut student's right to wear an anti-gay t-shirt. Said ACLU CT legal director Sandra Staub, "The First Amendment was written to protect unpopular speech, which is naturally the kind of speech that will always need protection. The ACLU has fought hard for same-sex marriage and we couldn't agree with Seth less on that issue, but he is absolutely correct about his right to express his opinion."

Outgoing California GOP chairman Tom Del Beccaro predicts his party will be debating the "difficult issue" of marriage equality for years to come.

Meanwhile, Celeste Greig, head of the California Republican Assembly, said rape victims don't typically get pregnant because "it's an act of violence, because the body is traumatized." She's the female Todd Akin!

A handy breakdown of where Illinois lawmakers stand on marriage equality.

The artist still known as Prince performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and will soon be coming to a city near you!

Dalmatian puppies go gaga for peanut butter.

Jennifer Lawrence is spending her post-Oscar time setting up dates for Silver Linings Playbook costar Bradley Cooper.

Justin Bieber had "the worst birthday ever" after his Circus-themed party devolved into a fracas.

Great news from PR: "The advance of gay rights across the United States is spreading into Puerto Rico, making the island a relatively gay-friendly outpost in a Caribbean region where sodomy laws and harassment of gays are still common. The governing Popular Democratic Party is pushing a bill through the legislature that would outlaw discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, a step taken by about half of U.S. states. Another bill would extend a domestic violence law to gay couples."

A Virginia spa admits to booting a transgender woman because they have a policy against "any abnormal sexual behaviors and orientation." "It is our policy not to accept any kinds of abnormal sexual oriented customers to our facility such as homosexuals, or transgender," Spa World in Centreville said in a statement. "We strongly enforce this policy for the safety and the comfort for (sic.) our customers, and also to promote a healthy reputation for our business.... Also, for the safety and the comfort for young children at Spa World, we strongly forbid any abnormal sexual behaviors and orientation in our facility." Virginia laws allow this to go on.

Shifting public opinion may very well sway Justices Anthony Kennedy and John Roberts toward marriage equality, especially the more moderate Kennedy: "Throughout his long career, Kennedy has been willing to make major changes in the law on issues including the death penalty, gun rights and gay rights... But before signing on to major changes — abolishing the death penalty for young murderers, for example — he has wanted to feel comfortable that the change was in line with public opinion and the trend in the law."

The Florida sinkhole that swallowed a man continues to grow.

News: Mike Piazza, Wedding Cake, Hawaii, Boy Scouts

 Polish director Malgoska Szumowska's film, In The Name Of, takes on the Catholic Church.

 Former NY Mets catcher Mike Piazza addresses gay rumors in newly published memoir: “If I was gay, I’d be gay all the way.”

 Kim and Kanye hit up Rio.

 Lesbian couple denied wedding cake by anti-equality cake shop have accepted ”Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman's offer to provide them one for free on their big day.

 Justin Bieber made his SNL debut last night.

 Anti-gay group gets funding by the Canadian government: "...the federal government is providing $544,813 in funding for Crossroads Christian Communications — an Ontario-based evangelical group that produces television programming — to help dig wells, build latrines and promote hygiene awareness in Uganda through 2014."

 Madonna signs up for Instagram.

 HRC call to action on marriage equality in Hawaii: "The momentum for marriage equality in the Aloha State is on our side and the deadline for the legislature to hear the marriage bill is this Tuesday, February 12th. Join us on Monday, February 11^th at the Capitol Rotunda in Honolulu with hundreds of supporters making their voices heard by speaking face to face with their legislators."

 Steve Jobs aspired to create an iCar.

 Anti-gay group American Family Association announces a social media campaign to oust AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson from the board of the Boy Scouts of America: "He doesn’t espouse their values; he should move on.”

News: Tyler Clementi, Twitter, Stacey Campfield, Ghana

Tennessee Senator Stacey "Don't Say Gay" Campfield starts his interview with TMZ just the way you'd think he would. By declaring that "the biggest bullies in the world out there is really the homosexual community."

On Monday, Rutgers will officially open the Tyler Clementi Center: "The work (at the Center) would examine not only bullying and youth suicides, but also topics like how young people use, and abuse, new technologies."

Justin Bieber goes horseback riding in LA.

The White House releases proof that President Obama used a gun at Camp David.

Alabama gay rights group calls for removal of teacher who called gays "an abomination against God. Says GLBT Advocacy and Youth Services: "This is wrong, unethical, unprofessional, on so many levels, that there should be no question that if it is verified that this happened in a classroom, that this teacher should be removed from his position."

Senator Ann Romney?

Frank Ocean won't be pressing charges against Chris Brown.

Lana Del Rey covers the latest issue of Numéro Tokyo magazine.

Ghana President John Mahama: "Homosexual conduct which is unnatural carnal knowledge of one person or another is criminal and punishable by the laws of Ghana."

The HRC backs Christine Quinn for mayor.

Twitter hacked: "The San Francisco company said it identified this week computerized attacks that may have accessed limited information such as Twitter user names, email addresses and encrypted passwords for 250,000 Twitter users."

Arrests made yesterday during protest of nudity ban in San Francisco.

No shadow for Punxsutawney Phil means an early spring.

News: Aurora, Bieber's Blunt, Catholic Hate Group Petition, NZ

Did you get a chance to see Betty White on The Tonight Show this week?

Oh, look, it's anti-gay GOP House Speaker John Boehner with the new gay Congressmen Sean Patrick Maloney and Mark Pocan and their lovely husbands and families.

There's currently a We the People petition demanding the White House to designate the Catholic Church a hate group because of Pope Benedict's repeated denunciations of gay people. Less than 2,000 have signed said petition, which was posted on Christmas.

From NBC News: "The U.S. Supreme Court is set to tackle gay marriage in a matter of months, but legislative action this week in Rhode Island and Illinois shows that supporters aren't in wait-and-see mode. Buoyed by ballot victories in four states in November, they're now on the offensive in two more; wins would mean that more than 20 percent of Americans live in places that have approved same-sex marriage."

Could the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality cases be 3-3-3, not 5-4? "Say, for example, that three justices vote to reverse on the merits, three vote to affirm based on the 9th Circuit's opinion, and three vote to dismiss the appeal on jurisdictional grounds. In that case, I would argue, Proposition 8 is dead and same-sex marriage is once again available and recognized in California. The result would be a brief per curiam explaining the disposition of votes, and at least three separate opinions – maybe even more than that – to chart the outcome. No national precedent would be set in such a case."

Are fans, not players, to blame for keeping European soccer players in the closet? From The Telegraph: "Part of football's appeal is its unreconstructed, largely masculine, largely working-class attitudes. It is easy to imagine that a gay footballer would dread the reaction at away grounds were he to come out."

Almost 54% of New Zealand voters support marriage equality, according to a new poll. Only 38.1% do not. Meanwhile, with regard to the always controversial right to die question, about 60% believe a terminally ill person has the right to request doctor-assisted euthanasia.

Justin Bieber with a blunt.

Clueless photo shoot.

Christians against yoga, one of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise in the world.

Three people were found dead inside a home in Aurora, Colorado, the site of last summer's deadly movie theater shooting, after local SWAT officials shot a gunman who took them hostage. One hostage escaped and called police, leading to a nearly six-hour stand-off.

Either because officials thought them inappropriate or because venues backed out, about half-a-dozen gun shows within an hour drive of Newtown, CT, where the Sandy Hook shooting happened last month, have been canceled.

Peter David is the straight author and comic book writer who makes sure gay heroes Rictor and Shatterstar are prominently featured in the Marvel title X-Factor. Late last year David had a stroke, and he needs your help down the road to recovery.

Here's Ryan Seacrest running around shirtless in St. Barts.

Advice to President Obama.

The return of the Coca-Cola polar bears.

Justin Bieber's Overalls Cause International Twitter Incident

Nobody was happy with Justin Bieber's choice of dress to accept the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper over the weekend.

Twitter in particular was outraged.

Tweeted Bieber: “I met the Prime Minister in overalls lol"

And Harper showed class in response: “In fairness to @justinbieber, I told him I would be wearing my overalls too.”

Bieber explained later: “The pic of me and the Prime Minister was taken in a room in the arena where i was performing at that day. I walked straight from my meet and greet to him, if you 'Hayley' expect me to have a change of clothes let a loan a suit at that specific time that’s crazy, It wasn’t like it was like I was going into his environment we were at a hockey arena. Wow am i ever white trash hayley peterson lol.”

The OXD Mirror: New Music for 11.9.12

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / RU BHATT

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based collective created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world. 

Edwin Van Cleef: 'Nala (Summer Best Pals Remix)'

Britain-based Edwin Van Cleef has put together a house tune that is completely mesmerizing in its lush production. Every time i hear this song I literally stop what I'm doing and imagine frolicking in the sun with my friends. Of course, it's my understanding that 'Nala' refers to the Lion King character, and imagine the Summer Best Pals moniker is a nod to Nala and Simba's carefree existence (at least before the wildebeest stampede). Regardless of whether or not you share my theory, this song certainly shows off the fact that lyrics are not necessary to captivate an audience.

 

Kim Ann Foxman: 'Return It (Populette Mix)'

Though Tadeu posted a Kim Ann Foxman track a few weeks ago, I am far too obsessed with this song to not include it in this week's column. The NYC-based producer and DJ's original version demonstrates her expertise over house music (check it out the fantastic video on OXD), and Brookyln-based Populette's haunting remix takes that sound even deeper into the nightclub. The duo, comprised of Max Pask and Andrew 'Wiz' Potter, have stripped down the original in their signature fashion, adding in an almost spooky sound, creating a song that showcases Foxman's suprisingly strong vocal presence as she tells a tale of unrequited love.

 

AlunaGeorge: 'Your Drums, Your Love (Duke Dumont Remix)'

AlunaGeorge is a London-based musical project, comprised of singer Aluna Francis and producer George Reid, that "isn't afraid to do something a bit weird" (by which they're referring to work by The Neptunes and Timbaland). The pair may be heavily influenced by 90's R&B, but leave it to breakout sensation Duke Dumont to turn the original song into an insatiable house anthem. Hot off the heels of 'Giver' (the go-to floor-filling jam by the likes of Aeroplane and The Magician), the UK producer has created yet another house gem that is certain to create quite the sweat-induced sheen on the dancefloor.

MORE TRACKS AFTER THE JUMP...