News: London Cloud, Rock Hudson, United Airlines, Annise Parker

Signorile on Congress and Obama's LGBT agenda: Why is the "low-hanging fruit" still hanging? And here's the checklist.

Architectural "cloud" proposed in London.

America's Next Top Model's Miss J is the father of a 7-year-old boy: "A French lesbian had asked if we would be sperm donors. "So we thought, 'OK, you want me to do you?' And she was like, 'Ooooh, I'm not that talented.' So I said, 'Okay fine.' So we did a little test tube."

D.C. Council committee advances marriage equality bill: "A DC Council Committee voted 4 to 1 this afternoon to send a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to the full council for debate. Council member Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary, said the legislation was 'both simple and monumental.' With the committee vote, the full council will take up the bill in early December. It is expected to easily pass."

Virginia lawmaker to introduce legislation extending protections to state workers who are gay or lesbian.

Celine Dion "no longer pregnant".

Opposition party in Australia drafts bill to keep single mothers and gay couples from accessing surrogacy: "Under the laws...introduced, only married and defacto heterosexual couples who have been together for at least two years would legally be able to have a child by surrogate."

First look at The Addams Family Musical.

American researchers "rebuild" sexual organs on rabbits, believe procedure could work on men: "Male rabbits given the implants attempted to mate within one minute of being introduced to a female partner, and 83 per cent succeeded."

REPORT: Rock Hudson's lover Marc Christian has died.

Goran Visnjic to star as Christopher Plummer's boyfriend in the Mike Mills film Beginners: "It’s a Gay-December romance for the ages!"

Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker gets endorsement from opponent: “One candidate stands out with a 12-year proven track record of public service, particularly in terms of efficient, transparent government, the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and fiscal responsibility, especially important in these difficult economic times."

Ashleigh and Jakob were definitely the best part of So You Think You Can Dance last night.

Lady Gaga gossips about Gossip Girl.

Some photos by Dav.d Daniels from the Mormon testimony at the Salt Lake City LGBT ordinance hearings.

United Airlines pilot arrested for intoxication before boarding a flight full of passengers at Heathrow.

FireDogLake blogger Jane Hamsher talks about the DNC donor boycott: "If you're suppressing your base, and the other side is revving up theirs, and midterm elections are all about turning out the base, I sort of question what their strategy is here."

Ontario gym owner in transgender bathroom legal battle: "A fitness club owner in southwestern Ontario said Tuesday he has wasted tens of thousands of dollars fighting a legal battle with a transgender woman over which washrooms she should use, only to have the case thrown out by the Ontario Human Rights Commission."

Thousands Rally Against Anti-Gay Hate Crimes in London

(image flickr user zefrog)

Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square in London last night for a vigil in response to a recent surge in anti-gay hate crimes, and more specifically, the recent homophobic murder of Ian Baynham, and the attack on James Parkes, a police trainee who was beaten in Liverpool last week.

The BBC reports: "Family and friends and thousands of gay, lesbian and transgender people turned out to mourn Ian Baynham, 62. Tributes were also paid to trainee Pc James Parkes, who suffered skull fractures after an attack in Liverpool. Rows of candles spelt out "No To Hate" and speeches took place before a two-minutes silence at 2100. ..Speaker after speaker at the vigil urged people to contact the police if they were a victim of hate crime. There was the same refrain in messages of support from political leaders of all colours. But the focus of the evening was the life and death of Mr Baynham. Speakers told of a man who grew up in a world where gay people kept their sexuality under wraps, about his wit and eloquence and his determination to always challenge homophobic abuse. We learned he had a relationship that lasted two decades, that he was well-mannered and considerate by nature, but a terrible cook. A statement read on behalf of his sister Jenny spoke of a respectful man with a strong set of moral values. And she said it was 'so tragic that his life ended on the streets of the city he loved so much.'"

Scenes and speakers from the vigil:

UK Anti-Hate Vigils: Tonight in London, Sunday in Liverpool

Thousands are expected in Trafalgar Square in London tonight for a vigil against anti-LGBT hate crimes.

The BBC reports: "Homophobic attack victims Ian Baynham, who died earlier this month, and James Parkes, who was injured in Liverpool on Sunday, will be among those honoured. Speeches will be made before the two-minutes silence 2100 GMT. Organiser Mark Healey said: "If we forget about these victims we could become complacent and fail to learn from the past." Mr Baynham, 62, from Beckenham, south-east London, died from brain damage two weeks after being attacked in Trafalgar Square on 25 September. On Sunday night trainee police officer Mr Parkes, 22, was attacked by up to 20 people outside a gay bar in Liverpool's Stanley Street. He remains in hospital with multiple skull fractures. Last week Metropolitan Police figures showed that 1,192 homophobic offences were reported in London in the year to September, up from 1,008 the previous year - a rise of 18.3%."

A vigil is also scheduled for Sunday night at 8pm in Liverpool.

News: Germany, Belmont Rocks, Rent, Dot Gay, Uganda, Polar Bears

Website devoted to raid on Atlanta Eagle bar launches.

Health care: Pelosi publicly whipping on robust public option?

SPACE: A giant hole found in the Moon, the youngest and most distant galaxy cluster ever recorded, and a stunning map of exploration of our solar system.

News anchor finds himself in a remake of The Birds.

Boston gays to protest Obama this weekend.

PFOX urges libraries to carry books about the "ex-gay" movement.

Jack Mackenroth slams Oprah over HIV show.

Utah Catholic high school defends production of Rent: "Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of schools in the Salt Lake City diocese, said she read the script at the request of Bishop John Wester, and she watched a dress rehearsal Tuesday. 'There is absolutely nothing that would be offensive,' Kamphaus said Thursday. 'It wasn't condoning the gay and lesbian lifestyle.' Rather, she said, the play shows friends forming a loving and caring community while facing AIDS and other challenges."

Homophobic Daily Mail writer Jan Moir was thrilled to be in spotlight over Gately death.

San Diego gay man says attack in Hillcrest area was hate crime.

Producers shaft the hot dude on Melrose Place.

Time capsule: Chicago's Belmont Rocks.

Tom Cruise: American Psycho.

Report: International transgender community at higher risk in counterterrorism operations. "The report, by noted International Law Professor Martin Sheinin, concludes that because security personnel regularly seek out men 'dressed as women' as potential terrorists, soldiers often target all men in female clothing — including those who do so as part of their gender identity. This is particularly the case in Middle Eastern/Islamic nations — or against Middle Eastern/Islamic people.' Enhanced immigration controls that focus attention on male bombers who may be dressing as females to avoid scrutiny make transgender persons susceptible to increased harassment and suspicion,' the report says."

Coalition releases statement condemning anti-gay bill in Uganda.

UK's first gay tourism office opens in London's Soho district.

Obama administration sets aside 200,000 acres in Alaska for Polar Bears.

Model Paul Sculfor shoots gay scene in Madrid.

The Dot Gay Alliance has competition from a straight German man in Riga, Latvia: "While both groups have left open the possibility of cooperating, they haven’t yet joined forces. Both groups say they plan on starting the application process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, to create top-level domains, akin to .com, .edu, .org and .net."

German high court backs pensions for gay married couples: "A failure to give gay partners the same benefits infringes the basic right to equal treatment, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe said. The decision nullified an earlier ruling from the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) regarding a Hamburg man who has been a public servant since 1991 with a supplementary pension. The public-sector pension company VBL – the largest such company in the nation – refused to give the man married status, despite the fact that he’d been living in a registered civil union for eight years. This meant that his retirement benefits would be €74 less each month, and his partner would receive no surviving dependants’ pension in the event of his death."

Hate Crime Vigil to Take Place in London on October 30

A vigil is set to take place in Trafalgar Square a week from Friday at 8pm in response to the hate crime murder of 62-year-old Ian Baynham:

"Mr Baynham's death, highlights the growing issue of homophobia in London, as the Metropolitan Police have reported an increase in homophobic hate crime. Over the past year, the number of attacks against gay men and women in London has risen nearly 20 per cent, and in a recent survey 90 per cent of the gay men and women questioned said they had experienced homophobic insults and abuse. The Vigil is also an opportunity to rembember the many victims of homophoia and hatred not only in London, but all over the world...The day of the vigil also marks the 5 year anniversary of the death of David Morley. David was a popular figure in London's Soho Community. He was a survivor of the Admiral Duncan nail bombing - the homophobic attack carried out by David Copeland, but was viciously beaten to death on London's South Bank by a gang of youths. Event organisers state that the aim of the vigil is to show the world that anti-sociable behaviour is unacceptable. The event organisers stress that the hate crime vigil is about everyone - lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, straight, highlighting that the attack on Ian Baynham was an attack 'on everyone’s right to walk through their city without fear of attack'."

London's Metropolitan Police have been accused of complacency by the head of UK gay rights group Stonewall, Ben Summerskill: "The Met has made progress in the past decade, but it is patting itself on the back and becoming complacent. Homophobic crime is often still not treated as seriously as other offences and our research has shown that 75 per cent of gay people don't have confidence in reporting incidents to the police."

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USA Today: Rosie O'Donnell confirms split with partner Kelli Carpenter. "We're a family. We will remain a family forever. And we are working on our issues."

Do Começo Ao Fim: Controversial film about brothers who are also lovers to debut in Brazil.

Bronson Pinchot on working with Tom Cruise in Risky Business: "We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth. He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, 'You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?' I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, 'It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.' Very, very strange."

White House supports Ryan White Reauthorization Act.

Unfriendly Fire author Nathaniel Frank takes apart an article by James Bowman in the Weekly Standard with a point-by-point rebuttal of Bowman's theories — "that what motivates 18-year-olds in 21st-century America to fight wars is a particular conception of honor; that that honor is defined by having an exclusively male, heterosexual identity; and by the further belief that a straight man's honor relies on not having gay peers."

Bigots of a feather flock together.

Toronto gets a gander of Ryan Gosling.

The face of Jesus has been spotted on the door of a toilet at Ikea Glasgow: "A bearded face, with long flowing hair, is plainly visible on the wooden door of the men's toilet in the Braehead outlet of the Swedish furniture and meatballs giant."

Equality Florida endorses Dan Gelber for Attorney General. "Our community has two friends in the Democratic Primary race for Attorney General, however Dan Gelber stands apart as someone who has used his political capital to truly lead on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues."

Anti-discrimination ordinance makes first appearance at Salt Lake City Council — public hearing scheduled for November 10.

Homophobic slapper has day in UK court.

Bobby Brown suggests Whitney Houston is a lesbian in new book.

A new Twilight clip with lots of fangs, shirtlessness, drool, and growling.

Saturn at equinox...

Man's genitals bitten in alleged gay sex assault in Taipei.

LaToya Jackson fears for her life, tabs say: "La Toya is convinced someone paid Michael's personal physician, Conrad Murray, to kill him because they stood to gain up to $1 billion from his death. She is convinced they killed her brother and wouldn't hesitate for a moment to kill her as well."

Met: Homophobic crimes up in London.

Adam Shankman to co-produce Oscars with former Fox film chief Bill Mechanic. Shankman: "The last time I was on the show was as a dancer, and to come back as a producer is such an unbelievable honor."

Police in El Paso, Texas finish special training as result of Chico's Tacos gay kiss ejection: "All 1,100 city police officers have completed special training to make sure they know the law when it comes to dealing with gays and public places. The sessions were part of the fallout from a security guard ejecting five gay men from a Chico's Tacos restaurant after two of them kissed. Chico's owner later said his staff kicked out the men because they were being disruptive, not because of the kiss."