News: Caster Semenya, Asbury Park, Alan Cumming, Tyra Banks

NY Sex offender who beat gay man to death gets 20 years for manslaughter.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition winners announced.

If looks could kill: Cynthia McFadden is not afraid to go there with Tyra Banks.

REPORT: South African runner Caster Semenya has no womb or ovaries. "Tests conducted during the world athletics championships in Berlin last month, where Semenya's gender became the subject of heated debate following her victory in the 800m, revealed evidence [of] both male and female sexual characteristics."

The NYT visits a revived Asbury Park, NJ: "As is often the case in a town in a process of renewal, gay men and lesbians have a significant presence and deserve considerable credit for the current reawakening."

Madonna to introduce Janet at VMA's?

Federal regulators side with gay adoptive father in Florida over subsidy to foster parents.

WATCH: Whitney Houston's video for "I Look to You".

Alan Cumming to release album: "The album title comes from the naturalization test I took to become a citizen of the U S of A. In the test, there is a bit where the man says a sentence and you have to write it down to prove your prowess in English. My sentence was ‘I bought a blue car today,’ which initially I thought was really sweet and childlike, but on closer examination I realized that it’s all about consumerism and gas guzzling, which rather brilliantly encapsulates America’s financial and energy crises in one fell swoop. [The album is] made up of songs and stories about my ten years living in the states culminating in my becoming a citizen."

Interview with Sacramento man who is trying to get a voter's initiative on the ballot in California that would ban divorce.
 

Vampire gives blood.

Sotomayor questions "corporate personhood".

Actor Michael Fassbender covers fall issue of NYT T Men's Fashion mag.

Kids grow up so fast.

Guilt-free download of Mika's new song "Blame It On The Girls".

Fort Worth gay bar Stampede heavily damaged in fire: "Then, just before 2 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, a fire broke out in a storage area at Stampede and quickly spread to the rest of the building, causing $60,000 worth of damage. The cause of the fire was believed to be electrical, and authorities don’t suspect any foul play."

Ian McKellen to receive lifetime achievement award at San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.

Barry Manilow and Phil Spector: separated at birth?

ACLU wants Survivor winner Richard Hatch freed from jail: "Lawyers for the ACLU of Massachusetts on Wednesday sought the “Survivor” winner’s release from the Barnstable County jail in Bourne. Hatch was taken into custody Aug. 18 at his sister’s Newport home after giving TV interviews that the federal Bureau of Prisons said it had not approved. He was serving home confinement for failing to pay income taxes on his $1 million prize for winning the first season of the show. He was convicted in Providence in 2006...The ACLU said Hatch has a right to criticize the government."

News: Tyra Banks, Seattle, Bee Gees, HPV, Jim Verraros, Austin

Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz called "f*cking faggot" on conference call: "The Mankato Democrat wasn't on the line to hear the anti-gay slur; in fact, he ran about five minutes late to his own availability, following a trip to Afghanistan. Before Walz came on the line, someone said, "Come on Walz, you f---ing faggot," according to his staff and two reporters who were on the call.

Samantha Jones collides with Dee Snider.

Birther to rebut Obama's health care speech tonight.

David Beckham visits Ellen Degeneres, shows off his Ellen undies - video.

CNN: Gay Latino Americans "coming of age".

More than two dozen men arrested in undercover sex stings in Seattle park: "Over five days, investigators have arrested 28 men. Three arrests were made Thursday. Those arrested live in Pierce, King and Thurston counties, Troyer said. The activity is taking place during all hours of the day. 'If we had the manpower, we could have arrested 100,' Troyer said. 'They have created their own trails off the main trail.' Investigators have taken the names of others found in the woods." Savage: How is this not entrapment?

Lady Gaga rumored to appear at OUT magazine fashion week party.

Gay men continue to account for most new cases of HIV in Australia.

South African runner at center of gender debate gets femme makeover.

Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival kicks off: "This year we received about 400 films in the mail that we had to go through and determine what we were actually going to show. We accepted only 100, so it's very interesting to see what themes come up every year, for example this year we've got a lot of lesbian-themed interest films, whereas normally we only get about 25 percent, this year was closer to 50."

Spirits having flown: Brothers Robin and Barry Gibb to reunite for first time since Maurice's death.

6,000 attend 20th anniversary of Pride in Calgary, Canada.

Gay couple adopts in Bakersfield.

Images from the 2009 Mr. Gay Brazil Contest. And the winner is...Thiago Silvestre.

FDA weighs approving HPV vaccine for men: "We're supportive in general of giving vaccines to boys for a number of reasons. Clinical trials have shown it's pretty effective -- 90 percent effective in preventing genital lesions [in boys]. Trials in a subset of gay men also found the vaccine to be effective in preventing external lesions, so the signs are pretty clear that it works in guys."

Jim Verraros and hubby Bill Brennan wedding photos.

AfterElton talks to Glee's Matthew Morrison: "I think from my Broadway days and now doing this show, some people are calling this the gayest show on TV — it's gayer than Ellen Degeneres. Yeah, I definitely have a ton of gay fans, which I'm happy with."

Mika buys drinks for hundreds of his Twitter followers.

Tyra Banks reveals her real hair in season opener.

Kevin Smith's next film may be inspired by Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps: "It's certainly not Phelps himself but it's very much inspired by a Phelps figure. And to me, too, the notion of using a Phelps-like character as a villain, as horrifying and scary as that guy can be, there's even something more insidious than him that lurks out there in as much as a public or a government that allows it and that's the other thing that I'm trying to examine in a big, big way."

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #479: Tyra 'Gay is the New Black' Edition

Last week, Tyra Banks broadcast an episode about gay and lesbian civil rights, comparing the current battle with the African-American struggle for civil rights. Here it is, in four parts.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Levi Johnston Breaks Silence on Fatherhood, Palins to Tyra Banks

 

Levi Johnston appeared (with his sister and mother) on Tyra Banks' show today to discuss his relationship with Bristol Palin, fatherhood, hunting, and his engagement tattoo. Johnston denies that he received any pressure from Sarah Palin to marry once she became McCain's VP candidate.

The Johnstons are not happy they're being kept from seeing Levi's son Trip. Johnston says "It took a while for Sarah to believe us" when he and Bristol told her they were going to have a baby, and admits they weren't always having safe sex. He also reveals to Tyra that moose tastes like "moose."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Tyra Banks Receives GLAAD 'Excellence in Media' Award - VIDEO

Clay Aiken presented Tyra Banks with GLAAD's Excellence in Media award at New York's GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend. In accepting the award, Tyra talked about how she began to realize how the discrimination she faced as a Black model was the same faced by the LGBT people who surrounded her in the fashion industry.

Said Tyra: "I didn't understand why they empathized with me so much...As I got older I understood that hate and discrimination and inequality was the same. And that the issues that I was going through as a Black woman were some of the issues that they had gone through as gays and lesbians and transgenders and bisexuals. And I want to thank all of those people whose shoulders I cried on, all of the people who embraced me....I have had a lot of success as a model, but I know I would not have had that success were it not for the gay community."

She also discussed her outrage at parents who reject their LGBT children, and said their bigotry is what inspires her to continue using her show as a platform against it.

And she also apologized for stealing the word "fierce."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Suze Orman, Tyra Banks, Phil Donahue among GLAAD's NY Honorees

GLAAD handed out its annual media awards in New York City over the weekend. Tyra Banks received the Excellence in Media Award, Suze Orman received the Vito Russo Award, and Phil Donahue received a Special Recognition award.

Said Banks: "You embraced me and now I embrace you in front of millions to show how beautiful you are, how absolutely amazing you are, how giving you are. And I will continue to do that as long as I have a platform. I will continue to get the message out about gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people."

Said Orman: "I want every single one of you in this room to take note of what corporations put their time and money behind gays, behind lesbians -- behind you. Do you want to continue to give your money to people in corporations that oppress us, that keep us down? Or do you want to give your money to the corporations who can help us rise and change what needs to be changed in the United States of America today."

Said Donahue: "The majority of the people in the nation agree with us. Our job now is to summon these people to stand up and say so out loud. To tell them to join us."

GLAAD also unveiled a new statuette for its winners. If you want specifics, it's 12 inches high, weighs 7 pounds, and is die-cast zinc, hand finished with a satin texture and plated with a custom nickel and rhodium finish for a dark luster, and comes on a black-stained ash base.

Fashion designer Jack Mackenroth filed a personal report on his blog, applauding GLAAD's choices of Suze Orman and Phil Donahue, though he had some critical thoughts about some of the other choices:

"I just really don’t understand why Tyra Banks was being honored. Because she has gay people on her show? Big deal. It’s about fashion and modeling. We are a dime a dozen in those industries. I may enjoy watching Mr. and Ms. Jay prance around the set of Top Model but I don’t think they do anything to advance the LGBT cause. If anything they perpetuate the idea that gay men are all over-the-top borderline drag queens. Nothing against them personally. I just think GLAAD should dig a little deeper. I also found it a bit offensive that Clay Aiken was making an appearance. He is another one who has been sending the message to America that being gay is not OK. He does not represent me. There are so many talented, out, GLBT people that could have been chosen. I was truly disappointed. Now I know that we need to align with our straight allies. I just think GLAAD needs to rethink some of their choices."

GLAAD's L.A. ceremony is coming up on April 18th and honors Kathy Griffin, Bishop Gene Robinson and The L Word. Others who will be appearing there are Jessica Alba, Dustin Lance Black; Balthazar Getty; Megan Mullally; Alan Cumming; Gus Van Sant; George Takei; Bruno Tonioli; Robert Gant, Peter Paige, Thea Gill, Michelle Clunie; Wilson Cruz; and Chad Allen.

Finally, they'll arrive in San Francisco on May 9th to hand out another round.

Father Tony of The Bilerico Project filed a video report. You can watch it, and see the full list of award winners from this weekend's ceremony in New York, AFTER THE JUMP...