MN School District Pays Family $25K Over Anti-Gay Harassment

Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, the largest in the state, settled a complaint by the family of a high school junior who claimed he was being harassed over his perceived sexual orientation, the Star Tribune reports:

"The boy's 'fence swings both ways,' teacher Diane Cleveland commented during a class in the 2007-2008 school year, according to an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. When the boy wrote a report on Ben Franklin, Cleveland allegedly said before the entire class that the boy had a 'thing for older men.' Another teacher, Walter Filson, said in front of other students that the boy 'enjoys wearing women's clothes.' When the boy decided to report on Abraham Lincoln, Filson allegedly said, 'Since you like your men older ...' the Human Rights report said."

The incident occurred at District 11's Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP) on the Anoka Technical College campus.The school district agreed to pay the family $25,000.

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #346

BARACK OBAMA'S TWO DADS: "That is a moment for the history books."

MAKE AN EFFORT: Minnesota based non-profit The UnConvention urges gay residents to welcome Republicans to St. Paul with a kiss.

RECKLESS JUDGMENT: The Palin nomination.

ST. PAUL RNC PROTESTS: A look inside.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

Feeding Frenzy for Larry Craig 'Bobble-foot' Giveaways

You may remember that last weekend the minor league St. Paul Saints baseball team handed out Larry Craig "Bobble-foot" giveaways. CNN sent Jeanne Moos to cover it. People were apparently lined up at 10am for a 7pm game so they could get one of these things.

I've clipped the segment, AFTER THE JUMP...

Minneapolis Baseball Team Hands Out Larry Craig 'Bobblefoot'

The Minnesota minor league baseball team The St. Paul Saints is doing away with traditional "bobblehead" giveaways this weekend and handing out an homage to Idaho Senator Larry Craig, who as you well know was arrested in a local airport for tapping under the stall at an undercover cop.

The team is handing out "bobblefoot" knickknacks featuring a bathroom stall with a pair of feet, one of which is springloaded and 'taps'. The baseball team's press release claims that the item honors "National Tap Dance Day".

According to the Star-Tribune, "The team also takes pains to note: 'It doesn't matter if your tapping style is done with a 'wide stance' or is used as some sort of code.'"

Saints promotion: Not quite a bobblehead [star tribune via boing boing]

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.