News: Gina Gershon, Tel Aviv, Sam Nunn, MTV, Scott McClellan

Missouri joins 10 other states in push to halt California's same-sex marriage law from going forward: "The other states filed a brief Friday asking the court to postpone action pending the results of a November ballot question in which California voters could overrule the decision. The ballot question was certified in California on Monday, prompting Nixon’s action. 'Regardless of how California decides to proceed, Missouri does not recognize same-sex marriages performed in California or any other state,' Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said Tuesday." UPDATE: Court gives green light to marriage.

John Mayer's hot rod.

Openly gay candidates win state legislature seats in California and Montana.

New York State Assembly passes bill banning transgender discrimination: "...the New York State Assembly voted 102-33 to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The bill (A.6584a), known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life."

Airlines contemplating putting passengers on the scales?

Gay days kicks off in Orlando, Florida.

Gay community center opens in Tel Aviv: "A new mezuzah was affixed to the entrance to a building on the campus of the 'Dov Hoz' school in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, one covered in the rainbow flag of the Gay Pride movement. After decades as the home of the 'Workers' children's school' serving the children of the Labor Party elite, and later a local high school, the building is now home to Tel Aviv's first-ever Gay and Lesbian community center. 'The image of God can be seen in every person, and therefore, this building is not only a community center, but a house of God' said Rabbi David Lazar at a ceremony to bless the affixing of the building's mezuzah."

Prison Break's Dominic Purcell shows some insight.

Former Georgia senator Sam Nunn says it may be time to reconsider "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "I think [when] 15 years go by on any personnel policy, it’s appropriate to take another look at it — see how it’s working, ask the hard questions, hear from the military. Start with a Pentagon study."

Crystal ("you are a whore") Conners denies having affair with Bill Clinton.

More Prince William seamen photos.

Scott McClellan memoir docu-drama in the works?

MTV fined $498,000 by UK regulator for offensive content: "The music broadcaster was fined for material carried on its TMF, MTV U.K., MTV France and MTV Hits channels, including uses of the word 'motherf***er' and 'f**k' in music videos and for airing racist and homophobic texts including such sentiments as 'the white race will triumph' and 'death to all gays' on MTV France."

Sphere: Related Content

Missouri GOP Congressman Attacks Rival Over 'San Francisco Values'

This idiotic ad from GOP congressman Sam Graves (left), whose seat is being challenged by former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, is a lowbrow racist and homophobic attempt to smear Barnes by calling her out on her "San Francisco Values".

Pathetic anti-gay scare tactics are all Graves has left, apparently. Barnes' response to the ad is on the right.

The Graves campaign refuses to apologize for the ad, and additionally trying to connect Barnes with the California same-sex marriage ruling. They told the local FOX affiliate: "The same week Kay Barnes was in San Francisco for a fundraiser, the California Supreme Court issues the most sweeping liberal, activist, pro-gay marriage ruling in the nation."

Sphere: Related Content

Missouri High School Student Fights Homophobia with Art Project

Amy Burrow, a senior at Independence, Missouri's Truman High School, is causing controversy with a project she did for her '3-D Art Class' which involves a glass school showcase featuring the words "Love Conquers All" over a collage of anti-gay propaganda designed to look similar to that used by Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church.

KCTV reports: "She spent two weeks working on the project for her 3D art class. She was at the school until 10 p.m. Thursday, keeping the project a secret from students until Friday morning...Burrow had created other controversial work at school about abortion, smoking, and all of it, including Friday's project, was approved by the art teacher and the school principal, she said. 'I was just in shock of something being able to happen like this, that our principal would allow this to happen,' said Chris Wilson, a student."

Said Burrow: "I'm happy actually, because at least it involved thought. At least it got them to stop and look at it. People stop me in the hallways and tell me, 'Amazing job. Good job. I love it,' and then other people have said, 'I can't believe that's allowed. That's ridiculous."

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Sphere: Related Content

News: Buenos Aires, Lance Bass, Salvador Dali, Pete Wentz, Brooklyn

Tragic rape case in Dubai raises diplomatic tensions between the United Arab Emirates and France.

Buenos Aires, Argentina gets five-star gay hotel: "The receptionists are slender young men in sleek suits, the brochure features chiselled male torsos, the rooms are soundproofed and stocked with condoms and every now and then Judy Garland croons in the bar: welcome to Latin America's first luxury gay hotel...The £3.5m five-storey complex has been conceived and designed as an out and proud celebration of gay identity and sexuality, said Nacho Rodriguez, the general manager. 'This hotel is not just gay-friendly. It is gay.'" Nacho Rodriguez has to be one of the best names ever. Website for the Axel Hotel is here.

Lance Bass reveals he was once married to a woman: "People do stupid things in the heat of the moment. I've been in Vegas where I've gotten married for like five minutes, but no one talks about it though. In fact the only reason we did it is because we wanted to get free drinks all night... and we didn't get one."

New York "Realtor to the Stars" found bludgeoned to death in her Fifth Avenue penthouse: "Linda Stein, 62, was found Tuesday night by her daughter, filmmaker Mandy Stein, lying in a pool of blood in the $2.5 million pad at 965 Fifth Ave. on the upper East Side. The city medical examiner ruled her death a homicide yesterday, determining the 5-foot-tall woman died from blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. 'It doesn't seem possible,' said one of Stein's neighbors, Seymour Holtzman, 72. 'It's probably the safest building I know. ... It's shocking.' Stein helped her ex-husband, music mogul Seymour Stein, found Sire Records in the 1970s, a label that launched the careers of Madonna, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode."

Catholic school principal caught in drag, loitering in "high drug trafficking and prostitution area."

Gay bashing south of Manchester, England has police on alert: "A man is in hospital with extensive facial injuries after being attacked in Orford Park in what police believe may be a homophobic attack. The 39-year-old was walking through the park with a friend on Monday night when a man 'violently attacked' him, detectives said. He was punched to the ground and then repeatedly punched and kicked in the face and head while his attacker told him he was going to kill him. The attack only stopped when a resident alerted by the noise came out of his home. The victim is still in Warrington Hospital with serious facial injuries."

Harry Potter actor Robert Pattinson to play Salvador Dali in new film that suggests Dali had a love affair with Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca: "Described by its producers as 'racy' and 'sexy', the film will show Dali and Lorca's feelings deepen into a love affair which the sexually repressed artist tries and fails to consummate. As a substitute, Lorca sleeps with a female friend, with Dali present as a voyeur. The interpretation, by British screenwriter Philippa Goslett, is likely to cause controversy among biographers and historians. Although a physically intimate relationship between the men has long been rumoured, Dali told interviewers more than once that he rejected the homosexual Lorca's attempts to seduce him."

Same-sex commitment ceremony announcement inspires hellstorm of hatred in Missouri town.

Pete Wentz leap of faith presents podiatric problem.

There’s Something About Miriam, the reality show about a 21-year-old transsexual model being wooed by six men who are unaware of her secret, begins airing on FOX Reality Channel tonight. Reality Blurred reports: "When the series first aired in the UK almost four years ago, Miriam said she was really looking for love. 'I did it because I wanted to know if real love exists. Can a person fall in love? I was trying to be myself and if anyone had asked me about myself I would have told them,' she said. As expected, the show was not well-received, and was criticized by many for its premise. The six men sued Sky One and the production company, a subsidiary of Big Brother producer Endemol, for what they said was public humiliation, settled for amounts that 'various reports pegged at anywhere between $150,000 and $250,000 a man.'"

What will Brooklyn, New York be like in the year 2012? Sir Ian McKellen gives a narrated tour. (more at Curbed)

Sphere: Related Content

News: Newt Gingrich, Spice Girls, Taipei Pride, Dean Johnson

Gay businessman Tony Hoare bludgeoned to death walking his dogs in London. Motivation behind the attack is unclear.

NYC downtown icon and gay performing artist Dean Johnson dies: "The six-foot-six promoter was found dead by authorities in Washington, D.C., but remained unidentified until this week. Police are still investigating the cause...At times a porn star and at other times a rock star (he fronted Dean and the Weenies and later the Velvet Mafia), he was always recognizable by his height (often augmented by heels) and brazen eyewear..." More from World of Wonder.

Taipei, Taiwan to hold carnival and gay pride parade this month. The carnival is this weekend. Said city official Jason Yeh: "The theme of this year's gay carnival is 'Teach You How to Watch a Gay Film'. We want the public to watch gay films in a relaxed atmosphere so that they can understand gay-related issues."

Fall auctions to test the art market bubble: "Doom-mongers are dubbing the blitz of forthcoming London sales as 'judgment week'. It will begin on October 11 with the opening of the Frieze art fair, which attracts dealers from all over the world."

Male Missouri high school student crowned Homecoming Queen: "His mother, Mary Ann Zaggy, said her son wanted to surprise his steady girlfriend at the dance tonight when the honor is formally bestowed. 'It's no big deal,' said [Marcel] Coleman, the homecoming king, although he was unsure how the traditional king-queen dance would play out. The school body voted for Zaggy, but he may have upset some students who consider the homecoming court no laughing matter."

Street Angels to take to the streets to thwart anti-gay attacks in Sydney: "The GenQ Street Angels want volunteers with policing, military, security or medical experience to join. They could be patrolling in Sydney's Oxford Street precinct and the King Street strip in Newtown as early as the first weekend in November. Organiser and GenerationQ.net founder Andrew Stopps said he hoped the patrols would initially focus on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am, when as many as 10,000 partygoers flood Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Paddington."

Newt Gingrich says he won't run for president.

Spice Girls reunion concert sells out in 38 seconds.

Anti-gay artists Elephant Man and Sizzla nixed from Toronto concerts over homophobic lyrics.

The Captain + Tennille = Tori Spelling?

Anti-gay wingnut's daughter to star in production of The Laramie Project: "Amy Contrada, author of the vehemently anti-gay MassResistance blog and tireless crusader against the Laramie Project play, failed to report that her own daughter will star in Acton High School's production of the play this November. Despite the fact that her daughter will play a TV reporter and serve as a Moderator for the play, which sensitively chronicles the death of Mathew Shepard, Contrada remains committed to organizing an anti-gay forum at the same High School in October."

Madonna to collaborate with Elton John? Elton: "Madonna is a great artiste and I think I shoot my mouth off too much, really. Who wouldn't want to work with her?"

Police accused of harassing LGBT gathering during opening week of UN General Assembly: "On Wednesday night, September 26, without provocation, officers from the 9th Precinct of the New York Police Department attacked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members who were attending an event organized by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP). At the celebration, in front of M & R Bar, at 356 Bowery Street, two people were violently arrested without cause. Others were pepper sprayed in the face without warning or cause, and injured. Most of the people attacked by the police were people of color, and many were transgender."

7,000, including hecklers, show up for North Carolina's Pride Fest.

Sphere: Related Content

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #142

HARDBALL: A discussion about civil unions and bigots.

AKON: Assaults a fan for tossing something at him onstage. Police seek kid to determine if there was any criminal offense.

POLITICS and TERROR: Keith Olbermann on the recent terror warnings.

CONYERS-JEFFERSON: FOX News confuses Congressman John Conyers for indicted Congressman Bill Jefferson.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

Sphere: Related Content

ACLU Defends Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist

Saying that a new Missouri law which bans picketing in front of funerals "tries to limit protesters' free speech based on the content of their message," the ACLU is suing Missouri on behalf of Westboro Baptist Church. The Church, whose strategy of getting their hateful message out about gays and lesbians by picketing in front of the funerals for soldiers killed in the Iraq war, has inspired the wrath of families and veterans groups nationwide.

The ACLU wants the ban declared unconstitutional. Said spokes-hag Shirley Phelps-Roper: "I told the nation, as each state went after these laws, that if the day came that they got in our way, that we would sue them. At this hour, the wrath of God is pouring out on this country."

The ACLU is right to argue for freedom of speech, be it the Phelps clan or not. Fred Phelps' message — that the U.S. is incurring God's wrath because of its tolerance towards gays and lesbians — is a message that should be heard if only because it shows the world the kind of irrational bigotry the gay community faces on a daily basis and enshrines Westboro Baptist as a group of certified nutjobs.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says the state has no plans to cave: "We're not going to acquiesce to anything that they're asking for in this lawsuit."

ACLU Sues for Anti-Gay Group That Pickets at Troops' Burials [washington post]

And make sure not to miss!
You Wanna Preach? Let's Preach [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Freak Nature: Busch Stadium Thunderstorm

You've perhaps heard about the crazy weather that's been going on around St. Louis, Missouri? Check out this video (via Deadspin) that someone shot at Busch Stadium as a thunderstorm rolled through Thursday night, and watch for the dude getting nailed by the trashcan. And could that be a cow flying by in a twister I hear at the end?

In related news, "Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) announced today that that they will launch a bipartisan inquiry into allegations that White House officials, including former adviser Philip Cooney, edited climate reports to play down the potential threat of global warming." And coverage of headlines from this week's heat wave.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Robbie Williams, hot Brazilians, Firefighters

"Rudebox" to be debut single from new Robbie Williams album.

Made in Brazil looks back on a year of narcissistic Brazilians and their fotologs.

Missouri lifts restrictions on gay foster parents after court mandate, but going could still be difficult, according to Department of Social Services spokesperson: "We're considering the biological parents' preferences, and we're also considering the abuse and neglect that occurred to the child and whether or not an alternative lifestyle environment would be confusing or add trauma to an already abused or neglected child."

More hate: Gay Pride in Latvia threatened by neo-Nazis.

Firefighters in Glasgow face censure after refusing to man a fire-safety stall at a Pride event in that Scottish city. Rep: "Firefighters are entitled to their private views. Since when was handing out leaflets at a gay event considered a firefighter's core duty?" Director of Stonewall Scotland: "If they had refused to engage with people because of their ethnicity or faith, they would face disciplinary action. Why should lesbian and gay Scots be treated as second-class citizens by public servants?"

Aerobics on the beach with Matthew McConaughey.

Mystery Sam: Culture Club finds replacement for Boy George. Debut next week.

Sphere: Related Content