The internet radio industry was dealt a sharp blow yesterday when the Copyright Royalty Board refused to reconsider a ruling that sharply raised the royalties internet stations must pay to artists and record companies. Most internet stations such as 365Live.com now say they will not be able to go on under the new rules. Some of my personal favorite stations …

Today is the 11th annual National Day Of Silence, in which students around the country will remain silent during their school day to draw awareness to homophobia on campus The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network has distributed stickers and cards for students to pay out. The material reads: “Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating …

Hundreds of clergy from all faiths have gathered in Washington today to lobby for the passage of ENDA and the LGBT-inclusive hate crimes bill, which last week was renamed the Matthew Shepard Act when it was introduced in the Senate. HRC’s Joe Solmonese: “For too long, there has been a false perception in American politics that faith and religion stand …

OK, now it’s on. Laddie mag Maxim has just named Sanjaya as their Girl Of The Day. I’ll admit that previously I joined in the Sanjaya bashing as gleefully as the next person, but Maxim has pissed me off enough to really start pulling for the kid. It’s sorta how we’re allowed to make fun of our own, but The …

From a few of my blogroll favorites…-Beloved-by-all JMG commenter Lynette tells a poignant story of AIDS and enduring love. -SuperDaddy Mark visits San Francisco and dreams a golden dream. -Top (chef) Aaron photoblogs his latest masterpiece..

“Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been utterly wasted on ‘abstinence-only until marriage’ programs. Why? To appease a rabidly vocal minority that cares more about getting our government to promote their religious ideology than they do about the health of young people. ‘Abstinence-only until marriage’ propaganda has been particularly insulting to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people because the …

Today a lucky JMG reader will win a deluxe Dreamgirls DVD package and a collectible Playbill from the premiere screening, courtesy of Paramount Pictures, as they promote the DVD’s May 1st release. Using a highly scientific entirely random selection process (asking my mom to pick a number), a commenter on this post will be chosen and notified by email Wednesday. …

A lone gunman killed 33 people at Virginia Tech today, in what is being called the deadliest school massacre in American history. It appears that most of the dead are students, some of whom were shot in their dormitories. GUN CONTROL. GUN CONTROL. GUN CONTROL. It’s the only answer. UPDATE: A Virginia Tech student live-blogged his wrenching day. News media …

Jesus MCC of Indianapolis has launched a city-wide billboard campaign that counters the prevailing opinion that gay love is condemned in the Bible The church’s site, Would Jesus Discrimate, says about the billboard picured here (one of six in the campaign), “Throughout Christian history, Ruth’s vow to Naomi has been used to illustrate the nature of the marriage covenant. These …

Last week, Deb Price of the Detroit Press managed to get the Iraq government’s spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, to now condemn the killing of Iraqi gays, when she demanded, “Does the Iraqi government condemn the killings of Iraqis targeted specifically because they’re homosexual?” The spokesman responded, “Iraqi government condemn each and every killing — whoever are being killed. Definitely we condemn …

Google has launched another innovative service, a free local 411 directory. Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and they’ll connect you for free to any business. I think my cell phone company charges about a buck for each 411 call. Now I’ve got to figure out what Google is getting out of this.

A male firefighter was awarded $1.7M by a Los Angeles jury for anti-gay discrimination he claims he suffered for coming to the defense of a lesbian firefighter. The firefighter had claimed he was forced out of the fire department after he supported his coworker in her homophobic bias suit against the department. I presume the male firefighter is straight, making …

Holy crap! We got 7.81 inches of rain in Central Park yesterday, the wettest day in NYC in 119 years, and almost breaking the 1888 record. That’s Florida-style rain right there. But there’s no flooding around Manhattan, at least none that I’ve noticed. I guess we’ve got great drainage ’round these parts.

Looking spooky in this rain, the West Village’s Jefferson Market Library was built in 1874 and was used as a courthouse until 1945. The adjoining buildings on the property were used as the New York Women’s House Of Detention. When weather permits, the library has a lovely flower garden open to the public.

I’m proud to report that I have taken my food preparation laziness to new dizzying heights, with the advent of the pre-washed, individually packaged Express Bake PotatOH!, which is ready for immediate microwaving. I don’t know if this is a new gimmick or if I just noticed them, but it pleases me greatly.

Ooo-wah, Ooo-wah. How I hated it. That frenzied, bizarre, dance floor chant that arose during peak moments in gay clubs of the 70’s. Ooo-wah, Ooo-wah. Never once in 30-some odd years have I ooo’d or wah’d. Always it would seem to arise during the exact moment of a song I was particularly enjoying, shattering the moment as I gritted my …

Here’s the alternative video for Erasure’s new single, I Could Fall In Love With You. I’ve been an Erasure fan for 20 years and this new song is already one of my favorites. To paraphrase a friend, if somebody asks you what your favorite Erasure song is, it should be a really difficult decision.

“America is watching Don Imus’s self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I’m watching America with wry amusement. Since I’m a second-class citizen — a gay man — my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don’t have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up …

Last night I attended the first organizational meeting of the Queer Justice League, where about 100 activists gathered to discuss the purpose, structure, rules and procedures of the group. During an interesting opening exercise, attendees were asked to give their first names, preferred gender pronoun, and a one-word description of their mood about the meeting. Curious, optimistic, hopeful, ready, excited, …

The Second Avenue subway, the long-awaited, often-started but never finished subway line down Manhattan’s East Side had its fourth groundbreaking this week. (My “morning view” pics are usually my own, but I grabbed this one from the NY Times.) The tunnel shown was sealed up in the 70’s during NYC’s big financial crisis and has sat empty since. I can’t …