Towleroad Guide to the Tube #313

GAY MARRIAGE: YouTube personalities the 'VGL gay boys' look at the issue.

PETE DOHERTY: Takes the first bath of his life.

MADE IN BRAZIL: Goes backstage at the Rosa Cha fashion show. More here.

NORM COLEMAN: The GOP Senator's new campaign ad, in which his wife pretends she's in the same room as him.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Sean Penn, Nova Scotia, Parrots, Channing Tatum, HIV

Homeless man gets 35 years in prison for spitting on a police officer and saying he was HIV positive.

Sean Penn slams Obama's "phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional" voting record, expresses optimism: "I don't have a candidate I'm supporting and I'm certainly interested and excited by the hope that Barack Obama is inspiring. I hope that he will understand, if he is the nominee, the degree of disillusionment that will happen if he doesn't become a greater man than he will ever be. This is the most important election, certainly in my lifetime, and maybe ever."

You'll never guess who is broke and living in a trailer with 20 parrots? Well, actually, you might.

Marriage equality bill introduced in Minnesota legislature: "The Marriage and Family Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, on Friday. The bill would make marriage a gender-neutral proposition in Minnesota, allowing same-sex couples to marry. It would also protect religious institutions that have moral objections to same-sex marriage from being compelled to perform such ceremonies."

Spains's Operacion Triunfo (the equivalent to our American Idol) recently featured a hot gay kiss.

McGreevey: Dina paid for the wedding, and honeymoon.

All's well in the land of Ry-chen.

Toronto Lutheran parish to defy church, risk expulsion, ordinate gay man: "Lionel Ketola will be ordained tomorrow night by a non-traditional American Lutheran group that ordains gay candidates. Their ordinations are not officially recognized in Canada or the United States. But despite that, he will then be hired by Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Newmarket, Ont., as an associate pastor, where he has interned for the past two years. Members of Holy Cross will also take part in the ordination ceremony."

Channing Tatum's GI Joe gear looks less than comfortable.

Police in Brighton, UK appeal for witnesses following attack on gay man by gang of youths: "About seven boys verbally abused the man, spat on him, forced him to the ground and kicked him in George Street. One member of the group was wearing a hooded top and another had white three quarter length tracksuit bottoms with a navy stripe, police said."

Gay pride group to march on county offices in Nova Scotia: "The group will raise the gay pride flag during a 7 p.m. ceremony at the town’s Water Street gazebo to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. The gazebo is a couple of blocks from the Municipality of Pictou County’s administrative building, where the gay pride flag will not fly. A February resolution banned all except government and First Nation flags from the county’s official flagpole. The municipality said the controversial policy doesn’t target gay pride groups specifically, but allows equal treatment of all organizations that want the county to fly their flags."

Joe Lieberman defends pastor John Hagee: "He represents a lot of people in this country, particularly Christians who care about the state of Israel."

The legacy of Illinois' first openly gay legislator, Larry McKeon, who died this week: "Chicago had never held a meeting like this, for gays and lesbians interested in becoming cops, and for an hour and a half, bleached by ceiling lights, they asked questions. Two officers, among the few on the force willing to say they were gay, answered. Was the department planning to form a special gay unit? No. Did the department intend to set gay quotas? No. Was there a space on the application for sexual orientation? No. Leaning against a wall, watching, was the man who'd organized the meeting, Larry McKeon."

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ACLU Defends Larry Craig's Right to Have Private Bathroom Sex

The ACLU filed a brief yesterday in support of Idaho Senator Larry Craig, arguing that those engaging in sexual conduct in restroom stalls should be able to expect privacy.

The AP reports: "[The ACLU] cited a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling 38 years ago that found that people who have sex in closed stalls in public restrooms 'have a reasonable expectation of privacy.' That means the state cannot prove Craig was inviting an undercover officer to have sex in public, the ACLU wrote...The ACLU argued that even if Craig was inviting the officer to have sex, his actions wouldn't be illegal. 'The government cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Senator Craig was inviting the undercover officer to engage in anything other than sexual intimacy that would not have called attention to itself in a closed stall in the public restroom,' the ACLU wrote in its brief. The ACLU also noted that Craig was originally charged with interference with privacy, which it said was an admission by the state that people in the bathroom stall expect privacy."

Aside from the sheer absurdity of it, I'm not sure exactly how this argument would help Craig, since he has denied engaging in any sexual conduct.

Last week Craig filed a 27-page brief with the Minnesota Court of Appeals in an ongoing attempt to withdraw his guilty plea.

Previously
Larry Craig Files Appeal in Ongoing Quest to Withdraw Guilty Plea [tr]
A Holiday Visit to the Larry Craig Men's Room [tr]
Idaho Paper Out to Disprove Larry Craig's "I'm not gay" Claims [tr]

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A Holiday Visit to the Larry Craig Men's Room

So, on a personal note, I'm coming at you today from Montana. However, on my trip here yesterday, due to a Jamaican Air flight that stayed at the gate I was supposed to board my plane at way too long, as well as a bit of bad weather in New York, I had 10 hours to kill in the Minneapolis airport.

Of course I had to make a trip to the nation's newest tourist attraction, and what do you know, I happened to catch this jaunty Larry Craig type skippin' in. And, I kid you not, I could swear he gave me a long cruise on the way out. Anyway...

More AFTER THE JUMP...

So I went inside to check out if they had installed those new partitions they announced in September. Nope.

Still plenty of time, Senators!

Anyway, it felt a little strange to be in there so I only spent about one minute. I wasn't going to do any further research even though I had 10 hours till my flight because a) I'm not desperate and b) I'm not stupid and c) I'm not a Republican closet case. However, as far as I could tell (I only heard a grunt and perhaps what was a courtesy flush), the season is still open for any out-of-state GOPers passin' through.

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What an A**hole

See what I mean, after the jump...

Via the AP: "A donkey is happily eating grass again after falling down a dry, abandoned well and being freed in an intensive rescue effort. It appeared that the animal wandered away from its farm and onto some boards covering the well, which broke, said Bruce Huseth, fire chief in this western Minnesota town."

That headline was way too easy.

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Minnesota Student Paul Marquardt Says Attack Not a Hate Crime

Moorhead, Minnesota Student Paul Marquardt, who said he was attacked last week by a group of men who confronted him with anti-gay slurs and beat him now says that the attack had nothing to do with his sexual orientation.

Said Deputy Police Chief Bob Larson: "Marquardt told investigators that he was not confronted, nor did he hear any anti-gay comments. He told us that the story had gotten away from him."

The Minnesota activist group Ten Percent Society, which had rallied to Marquardt's cause and planned a march to support him, canceled it. Said their spokesman James Sink: To claim something is a bias-motivated crime when it’s not is extremely serious. It’s unfortunate it had to happen in this case. The thing that we’re most concerned about is preserving the legitimacy of the organization and making people, and students of course, feel that it’s appropriate to go to the police if you feel you’ve been a victim of a crime."

Moorhead Student: Assault Did Happen, Anti-Gay Slurs Did Not [eleventh avenue south]

You may have missed...
Minnesota Student Paul Marquardt Assaulted in Anti-Gay Attack [tr]

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News: Gay Hobbits, Heroes' Zach, Steve Ballmer, Facebook

New study cites "alarming" rate of unsafe sex among gay HIV-positive British men: "Thirty-seven percent of HIV-positive men said they had had unprotected sex with more than one partner in the past year, while the rate among HIV-negative men was 18 percent."

The Lord of the Rings: Online cuts marriage feature altogether after makers couldn't agree on gay marriage: "The game has been in beta (a test version) since September, and during discussions of new features for the game, which was officially released Tuesday, the design team wound up in a heated discussion over what restrictions should be placed on marriage. They debated not only gay marriage but also marriage between members of different species. Finally, the game's executive producer settled the matter by pulling the entire marriage feature."

Lance Bass' new flame has his connexion exposed.

Lead singer of thrash metal band The Haunted gets a massage at a gay bathhouse and lives to write about it.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer says Apple's iPhone has no chance of capturing market share: "No chance. It's a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get. In the case of music, Apple got out early. They were the first to really recognize that you couldn't just think about the device and all the pieces separately. Bravo. Credit that to Steve (Jobs) and Apple. They did a nice job. But it's not like we're at the end of the line of innovation that's going to come in the way people listen to music, watch videos, etc. I'll bet our ads will be less edgy. But my 85-year-old uncle probably will never own an iPod, and I hope we'll get him to own a Zune."

Thomas Dekker responds to the controversy surrounding Heroes 'gay' character Zach following disclosures by executive producer Bryan Fuller that the character was axed because Dekker's manager thought his playing a gay teen might affect future casting. Dekker: "I would like it to be known by everyone, that I have played a gay character three times before in my career, one when I was twelve (which is on youtube), one when I was fifteen, and another when I was seventeen. I, nor my management have ever had any kind of problem with creating a gay character...What transpired on heroes is something far more complicated than anyone being "afraid" to make Zach homosexual." More...

Minnesota senate approves domestic partnership bill, sends it on to House: "The legislation would give unmarried domestic partners the standing to visit and make health care decisions for each other in the hospital. The bill defines domestic partners as adults in a 'committed interdependent relationship' who live together."

Her back in pain, Ellen DeGeneres to broadcast from bed.

Report: Social networking site Facebook shuts down Arab LBTG group due to pressure from governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others. "The governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab regimes have complained to Facebook about the group "Arab LBTG" (Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Gay) saying it goes against Islamic code of conduct. They threatened to ban Facebook if their countries' users still had access to it. After Facebook received the complaints, they contacted the group's owner and demanded that the group be closed. After the owner refused, Facebook then closed the group themselves." [UPDATE: 'Tis apparently a hoax. Thanks, commenters]

MySpace no longer includes the option of choosing "gay" as one's sexuality on member profiles? (warning: site NSFW)

Gay rights activists to stage rally at New York capitol in Albany today.

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Minnesota Student Paul Marquardt Assaulted in Anti-Gay Attack

Paul Marquardt, a senior at Minnesota State University Moorhead, says he was assaulted by four men last Thursday evening in a homophobic attack that left him severely injured and out cold.

According to The Forum, "Marquardt suffered a separated shoulder, bruised ribs, a fractured wrist and was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. He may also have to have his spleen removed, he said. He said he did not realize what had happened until he was sitting in class Friday and his memory came back. 'Like a ton of bricks, it was all of a sudden just like, 'Oh my god, I remember everything,'' he said. Marquardt said while he is traumatized by what happened to him because of his sexual orientation, he is more upset that he was unconscious for about three minutes and no one noticed. 'This could have happened to anybody,' he said."

Police reportedly have no suspects and Marquardt cannot recall what the men look like.

According to Minnesota blog Eleventh Avenue South, Marquardt was told by his doctor that "[if he had] been smaller and less well built, the assault could have been fatal." Marquardt also told WDAY news, "Me being gay and it being a hate crime is also awful, but it could have happened to a girl or another guy or a couple. It could have happened to anyone."

Moorhead is located near the border of Minnesota and North Dakota. According to LGBT group the Ten Percent Society of MSUM and North Dakota State University, it's the first anti-gay assault in the area in recent memory. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

We wish Paul well in his recovery.

Assault Shocks Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Community [eleventh avenue south]
Possible hate crime incites students [the forum]

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News: Bono, Andre Boisclair, Dolly Parton, Texas Triangle

Anti-gay group MassResistance taking predatory photos of gay youth? More...

Bono is knighted. Just don't call him Sir.

Saudi King Abdullah publicly condemns "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq. Crooks and Liars: "Wow, talk about Bush really losing his base."

Winner or loser? Kevin Federline to walk away with a cool million in Britney Spears divorce settlement.

Daily Kos on the threatened Bush veto: "Bush's veto sends troops to Iraq without rest, without armor, and without training. No president in American history has ever abandoned troops in the field to die. But George W. Bush is about to show you he's "man enough" to do it, just to prove he can."

Patti LuPone to headline Gypsy revival in New York. Arthur Laurents to direct.

Openly gay Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair criticized after party has worst election showing in decades: "PQ Leader Andre Boisclair is openly gay and his sexuality became an issue during the campaign when a radio host proclaimed the PQ 'a club of fags' and said local factory workers wouldn't vote for a gay leader." Candidate Rachel Gagnon: "We have to ask ourselves whether Quebecers, generally, are ready to live with homosexuality."

American Family Association pissed that Allegheny College is holding a two-day colloquium that begins today on gay, lesbian and transgender issues.

More reasons to love Dolly Parton: "When I have sex with my husband these days, I fantasize I am with someone like Keith Urban or a petite, hot young woman."

Lesbian journalist Kay Longcope, who started the Texas Triangle newspaper when she moved to Austin in 1992, has died of pancreatic cancer.

Tortilla artist Joe Bravo is a sensation in Mexico, breaking gallery attendance records.

Australia's first gay cruise hit by drug bust: "Police and sniffer dogs inspected all passengers before boarding and five people were detected with drugs on them. A 38 year-old Surry Hills man was found with 20 tablets and charged with supply, while three others – a 26 year-old from Wantirna in Victoria, 35 year-old from Glenmore, Victoria and a 37 year-old from Darlinghurst – were charged with possession of GHB, speed and LSD. A fifth man, 55 years-old, was cautioned for possessing a gram of cannabis."

Video highlights from the Sampson hearing on the firing of U.S. attorneys.

Madonna plans retrospective of her 25 years in show biz: "The singer also mentioned that she would love to throw a party for all of her friends that would, 'celebrate all the designers', such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix, who have created famous and groundbreaking designs for Madonna over the years."

Conservative groups in Minnesota fighting gay hospital visitation rights: "What we object to is the creation of these domestic partner statuses, which is really marriage by another name and that's what we see they are attempting to do."

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Garrison Keillor: A Bigot's Home Companion

Garrison Keillor longs for the good old days in this essay on what children need in Salon. You know, the days when the world wasn't bothered by all these non-monogamous, flamboyant homosexuals that want to raise children.

"I grew up the child of a mixed-gender marriage that lasted until death parted them, and I could tell you about how good that is for children, and you could pay me whatever you think it's worth."

This is from a man who has been married three times, and has two children with two different wives.

"Under the old monogamous system, we didn't have the problem of apportioning Thanksgiving and Christmas among your mother and stepdad, your dad and his third wife, your mother-in-law and her boyfriend Hal, and your father-in-law and his boyfriend Chuck. Today, serial monogamy has stretched the extended family to the breaking point."

This is from a man known for dumping a Prairie Home Companion producer who had been his longtime lover in order to marry his second wife. That marriage failed when he was discovered to be having an affair with his Danish language teacher.

And last, but not least:

"The country has come to accept stereotypical gay men -- sardonic fellows with fussy hair who live in over-decorated apartments with a striped sofa and a small weird dog and who worship campy performers and go in for flamboyance now and then themselves. If they want to be accepted as couples and daddies, however, the flamboyance may have to be brought under control. Parents are supposed to stand in back and not wear chartreuse pants and black polka-dot shirts. That's for the kids. It's their show."

It's not the first time he's gone off on gay marriage.

ADDENDUM: More from Dan Savage.

Stating the Obvious [salon

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News: Gaysted, McFly, Grace Kelly, Molly Ivins, Al Franken

Columnist Molly Ivins has died of cancer at 62: Tribute: "But there was more to Molly Ivins than insightful political commentary packaged in an aw-shucks Southern charm. In the coming days, much will be made of Molly's contributions to the liberal cause, how important she was as an authentic female voice on opinion pages across the country, her passionate and eloquent defense of the poorest and the weakest among us against the corruption of the most powerful, and the joy she took in celebrating the uniqueness of American culture -- and all of this is true. But more than that, Molly Ivins was a woman who loved and cared deeply for the world around her. And her warm and generous spirit was apparent in all her words and deeds."

Princess Stephanie of Monaco says her late mother Grace Kelly would have approved of pop star Mika's chart-topping song referencing her: "He is very talented and handsome and I'm sure my mother would have liked the song very much." Said Mika of the icon: "The song is all about identity and what people expect of me and how I'm perceived. I think Grace Kelly was a rebel and I liked that about her, rather than actresses like Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Loren." (more on Mika...)

Aussie Olympian Ian Thorpe and Lachlan Murdoch team up to fight AIDS in Papua New Guinea: "Thorpe says the disease threatens to wipe out up to 30 per cent of PNG's future workforce. 'We've listened to what the local interests are, to what's required here,' he said. 'It's wonderful to be able to see Australian businesses and PNG businesses coming together.' The business coalition launch raised close to $1 million in pledges."

African LGBT leaders angry that British activist Peter Tatchell and his group Outrage! are getting into their business.

Brit boyband McFly takes it off in the new Attitude.

Gaysted: "Heterosexual people getting so wasted, they slip into seemingly gay acts. The loose definition: It is when you are soooo drunk (wasted) and dudes start dancing with you and you just sort of go along with it and then they start putting their arms around you and you just kind of keep rolling with it because you're drunk and you sort of think the dude is being your dancefloor bro, but then when you sober up you realize that the situash is sort of weird. when this happens, you tell your friends, 'dude, i got so gaysted last night.'"

Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley gets ready to offer fashion commentary on Oscar's red carpet.

High school wrestler from Valentine, Nebraska who spread Herpes to 24 guys on 10 different teams at a wrestling meet in late December not likely to have a valentine this year. (via deadspin)

Al Franken to run for U.S. Senate from Minnesota: "In a statement, Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey said he was confident Minnesotans 'will reject Franken's divisive, scorched-earth attacks.' The state Democratic Party declined to comment. Should he win the Democratic primary in Minnesota, Franken would take on Republican Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record), a first-term senator who is among the Democrats' top targets. Coleman declined to comment Wednesday."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #77

ROSIE O'DONNELL: Slams Bush "surge" on The View, calls for impeachment.

WEDDING WIG OUT: Bride has massive hair wig out. Brilliant.

MICHELE BACHMANN DEATH GRIP: Newly elected anti-gay Congresswoman won't let go. For a reminder of Bachmann's anti-gay antics, here's a flashback.

BLINK-OFF: Dick Cheney vs. Nancy Pelosi at the SOTU.

Check out our past guides to the Tube here!

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News: Nate Berkus, David Mixner, Paris on Ice, Betty Ford

Human rights activist and political strategist David Mixner (a Clinton insider who publicly criticized his friend's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy) now has a blog. His first entries detail Betty Ford's early work on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS and a scorecard of politicians and their positions on the war in Iraq.

Boston newscaster Randy Price marries his partner Mark Steffen on Massachusetts State House steps one day after advance of gay marriage ban proposal. Price told the Boston Herald's Inside Track: "I’m not that [political] really, but in our personal lives we all become a bit political. We’re certainly not defiant people, but we believe that we should have the right to marry like anyone else. Right now, it’s right for us. And we’ve got as good a track record with vows and commitment as anyone else."

Lane Hudson: According to Terry McAuliffe, Hillary's ready to go.

OutZoneTV's sexiest gay celebrity: Nate Berkus.

Patricia Nell Warren, author of the classic gay novel The Front Runner, is running for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. I have a feeling she's the front runner now.

A Paris Hilton cocktail? Mix ten parts heiress with one part ice.

Anti-gay marriage group in Massachusetts withdraws $5 million lawsuit against legislature because they got their vote: "The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court by VoteOnMarriage.org, argued the 109 lawmakers who voted to recess a joint constitutional convention violated the supporters' rights to free speech, to petition the government and due process under the law.
The lawsuit sought $500,000 from the lawmakers for the cost of the group's legal battles and another $5 million in punitive damages."

Trikkx, one of St. Paul, Minnesota's gay nightclubs, is closing.

A character on the FOX sitcom The War at Home has come out of the closet: "Dave’s son Larry (Kyle Sullivan) is a bit eccentric, and both he and his friend Kenny have come under frequent scrutiny for their gay-seeming behavior (Larry likes figure skating, etc. etc.). But last night the cards were laid out on the table: Kenny is gay, Larry is not, and Kenny has a still-secret crush on his best friend." FOX preceded the episode with a "Viewer Discretion is Advised" warning. It's unclear whether that's a weekly message or one specifically for this gay-themed episode.

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News: Independent Spirit Awards, Gay Millionaires, Bears

Independent Spirit Award nominees announced: American Gun, The Dead Girl, Half Nelson, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan’s Labyrinth up for Best Feature.

The nation's first openly lesbian fire chief Bonnie Bleskacheck steps down after lawsuits accuse her of harassment and discrimination: "Three female firefighters have sued, alleging various acts of discrimination and sexual harassment. Two of the lawsuits were settled, but earlier this month, a male firefighter brought another lawsuit alleging he was denied advancement because he is male and not gay. A city investigation is still under way. This summer, a separate investigation by the city's Department of Civil Rights into a 2003 complaint by a male firefighter _ brought when Bleskachek was a battalion chief _ found it 'likely' that the department gave preferential treatment to lesbians or those who socialized with them."

Timothy Boham (aka porn actor Marcus Allen) was scheduled to appear in a Denver court today on charges he murdered his boss, openly gay businessman John Kelso.

Ricky Martin gets cheeky in Ocean Drive photoshoot.

Is gay as a film genre dead? Brent Hartinger looks at how other genres may be co-opting gay characters: "We've had gay mysteries (here! Networks' Donald Strachey mysteries), gay horror (Hellbent), a gay teen sex comedy (Another Gay Movie), a gay boxing movie (Fighting Tommy Riley) and even a gay science fiction movie (here! Networks' Deadly Skies, about a gay scientist, played by Antonio Sabato Jr., who helps prevent a meteor from crashing into Earth). None of these projects are 'about' the gay experience, even if the gay element sometimes adds an interesting thematic twist. Except for the gay characters, these are mostly the kinds of stories we watch when we're not busy being gay consumers."

Fighting anti-gay candidates with the pink dollar: Salon reports on wealthy donors like Coloradan and Quark founder Tim Gill who poured millions into the recent election to defeat anti-gay measures and candidates around the country.

Hazing charges against Vermont fraternity thrown out: "UVM officials suspended the fraternity based on rumors the pledges had been forced to dress up as Brokeback Mountain cowboys -- subjected to homophobic insults -- and forced to drink at a party in February."

Two bears meet in the woods...

Report: Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams to marry.

The Top 10 naked people on Google Earth.

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News: Warhol Jeans, Barry Diller's Big Bucks, Brazil

Rainbow flag disappears from Minnesota campus following campaign on the Facebook website calling for its removal.

Does Warhol have the fit that's right? Andy: "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art."

Vancouver postal workers angry about delivering hate mail from fundamentalist Baptist group: "It says AIDS is 'the plague of the 21st century, the consequences of the sin of homosexuality,' which it also describes as 'ungodly, unhealthy and unnatural.'"

Barry Diller is the highest paid executive in America according to reports, with one-year salary estimates ranging from $85 to $295 million, most of it in stock options.

Madonna takes adoption case to the Court of Public Opinion.

Guitarist Andy Taylor splits from Duran Duran. The band had come back together in 2000, but unfortunately, few noticed.

Patent application for full-screen video iPod revealed.

Gay vote increasingly important in Brazil: "In Sunday's presidential run-off, even the conservative candidate, former Sao Paulo state Gov. Geraldo Alckmin, supports a stalled bill in Congress that would legalize gay civil unions. That has won him points with gays who attended the parade, but most support President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva."

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Minneapolis Teacher Protested for Outing Himself to Class

A 17-year-old student came to the defense of teacher Peter Sage at Minneapolis' InterDistrict Downtown School when a group of parents staged a protest in reaction to Sage's acknowledgement to his second-grade class that he is gay.

"Sage said he read a prescribed book about a two-mom family, and then explained to the 23 students that he too is gay. Sage said he went on to tell students that some people have different views of people not like them, describing how he disagreed with his own grandfather's negative view of black people."

A group of upset parents held a protest at the school on Friday after deeming Sage's discussion "inappropriate". Their protest was interrupted by 17-year-old student Walter Kaplan who reportedly called the parents "hatemongers" and defended the school's curriculum. According to the Associated Press, when confronted by Kaplan, "the parents replied that the young man didn't have children of his own in the classroom."

Several parents have asked for their children to be transferred from Sage's classroom, but so far the school has stood by Sage, citing "overwhelming" parental support of its curriculum.

Gay Teacher 'Outs' Himself, And Parents Are Upset [ap]

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Primaries: Laffey Loses, Koering Wins

Rhode Island Republican Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, lost his Senate bid to moderate Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee yesterday, inspiring this woeful campaign pic. If you'll remember, Laffey was critized in the days before the primary for anti-gay writings he had published in a Bowdoin College paper in the 80's, writings Laffey described as "sophomoric political satire." Among them, this gem:

"I have never once seen a happy homosexual. This is not to say there aren't any; I simply haven't seen one in my lifetime. Maybe they are all in the closet. All the homosexuals I've seen are sickly and decrepit, their eyes devoid of life."

Who's happy now?

The openly gay Republican legislator from Minnesota, Paul Koering, won his battle against "family-values candidate" Kevin Goedker:

"In one of the most closely watched of 20 legislative primary contests in the state, Twin Cities-based Minnesota Citizens in Defense of Marriage had leafletted cars at Brainerd-area churches Sunday to publicize Koering's failure to vote three years ago on a floor amendment to prohibit the promotion or teaching of homosexuality and bisexuality in public schools."

In New York, attorney general Eliot Spitzer won the Democratic nomination for Governor. Spitzer has said that if elected Governor, he would facilitate the introduction of gay marriage legislation in the state. Pundits have noted that the strength of the state's Democratic Party could set it up to sweep statewide offices this November, placing Democratics in every state office for the first time since Franklin Roosevelt was president in 1941.

Here's a summary of key primary races across the country.

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Gay Marriage: Colorado, Tennessee, Virginia, Minnesota, SA

Colorado Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez jumps on Democratic candidate Bill Ritter's gay marriage flip-flop: "Let me get this straight: He's for marriage between a man and a woman with exceptions? Adding, subtracting or amending the definition of marriage is a significant departure from what he has said before." Beauprez opposes gay marriage and civil unions.

Tennessee Republican Gubernatorial nominee Jim Bryson jumps on Governor Bredesen's refusal to sign a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, though both say they will vote for the amendment in November.

Opponents of gay marriage in South Africa promise they will have tens of thousands of people on the streets on September 16th in a mass demonstration as the legislature prepares to take up the issue of legalizing same-sex unions.

Gay Minnesota Republican Paul Koering, who joined Democrats in effort to block anti-gay marriage amendment, feels the heat in upcoming election. Opponent: "People of high moral values and integrity must rally and support candidates who will work to bring ethics, morals and family values back into government."

As Virginia voters come to realization that a broad anti-gay marriage amendment would affect business and commerce in the state, momentum against it is growing.

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