Oh, happy day! New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick), long the greatest obstacle to getting LGBT rights advanced in the state, has announced that he will not seek reelection. Bruno’s decision will end a more than three-decade career that led him to become one of the most powerful men in state government, and the defacto leader of …

(Via – Andrew Sullivan)

Not to be outdone by the Union Square Pillow Fight, yesterday thousands of people crowded Times Square for the Bubble Battle. More pics and videos over at Gothamist and on Flickr. The pillow fight seems more fun, but at least there’s no cleanup from millions of bubbles.

Artist and JMG reader Steve MacIsaac sent me this neat drawing he did, which is taken from my first vidcast. Me like. No wrinkles! You may recall that I also got a nice drawing last year from Fuzzbelly. Check out some of MacIsaac’s great work here. (Possibly NSFW). I like the “Shirtlifter” series – those are filed under “comics”.

Yesterday the New York Times Magazine published a Q&A with Florida Gov. Charlie “Closet Case” Crist as his star continues to rise as John McCain’s possible choice for running mate. The interview hits on Crist’s centrist positions (for a Republican) and takes a shot at his perpetual deep tan, which Crist attributes in part to his Greek heritage. But the …

Noted psychotherapist and writer Michael Shernoff, who authored numerous books on gay culture and HIV/AIDS, has died of pancreatic cancer at 57. In his practice and in his writing, Mr. Shernoff confronted the realities of homosexual life with bluntness and compassion. In essays and books and as a mental health columnist for the Web site TheBody.com, he cast a sympathetic …

Via Queerty, an interesting blind item in today’s NY Daily News: “Which divorced comic superstar is exploring a groovy new real-life persona: that of an openly gay man?” The “groovy” is probably meant to be a giveaway. Myers divorced his wife last year and rumors have been swirling about his possible coming out ever since.

Even though only 15-20% of military personnel are female, they comprise almost half of the ejections under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military, according to Pentagon statistics gathered by an advocacy group. …

Folsom Street East was a barrel of monkeys pony boys yesterday. Despite the on and off thunderstorms early in the day, West 28th Street was mobbed by 4pm. And when the rain returned for an hour or so, there was no available cover for most of us, so we all just left our cakes out in the rain. Pretty much …

Very sad. I’ve enjoyed George Carlin for my entire life. Even my parents dug him. I think I even was allowed to have one of his albums in high school, even with all the naughty words.

Led by Equality California, a coalition of gay rights groups have petitioned the state Supreme Court to remove the anti-gay marriage initiative from the November ballot. Gay-rights advocates asked the California Supreme Court on Friday to remove a proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage from the November ballot, saying it would destroy fundamental rights that cannot be legally altered …

It’s a gloomy morning.

I was going to make a joke about how we should all feel a little more gay today, but it turns out that yesterday was the longest day of the year, the first time the summer solstice didn’t fall on June 21st since 1975. Therefore, if you are as gay as the day is long, you peaked yesterday.

Don’t forget that Folsom Street East takes places this Sunday on 28th Street in West Chelsea. Even if you’re not down with the scene, it’s hard to resist any reason to stand in the sun and drink beer with 10,000 scantily clad perverts. This year’s performers include punksters Kissy Kamikaze, dance hotties Noa Tylo and Frederick Ford, SuperNova, Trai la …

The European Union is pressuring the United States to end its ban on HIV positive travelers. Under US law, HIV+ people are restricted from entering the United States. The European Commissioner for Justice has raised the issue of issue of people with HIV being banned from entry into the US visa waiver programme with Michael Chertoff, US Secretary of Homeland …

JMG reader Rafael tips us to the news that the Mars Phoenix Lander has found evidence of water ice on Mars. Fascinating. The confirmation that water ice exists in the area directly surrounding the lander is big and good news for the Martian mission. NASA’s stated goal for the Mars Phoenix was to find exactly this — water ice — …

Two million views on YouTube in under 10 days. Visit the I’m Voting Republican site. Frightening and hilarious.

One of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on American school kids, the federal “abstinence only” sexual education program will continue to the tune of $176M. Despite a growing body of evidence showing it is not only ineffective but also discriminatory toward LGBT youth a renewal of the Bush administration’s abstinence-only-until-marriage program for schools appears likely in Congress. The House Appropriations …

In a Slate story titled The Gay Culture War Is About To Turn Chemical, William Saletan discusses last week’s story about the latest study into the gay brain and speculates that the long-feared Twilight Of The Golds world of aborting gay fetuses or “switching off” their gayness in the womb may be closer that we think. The sample consisted of …

– Brooklynites no longer have to schlep to Times Square for discount theatre tickets. The Theatre Development Fund has opened a TKTS booth above the Jay Street-Borough Hall subway stop on A,C,F lines. – The usual post-Tony Awards fallout: Cry-Baby will close on June 22 after ony 45 previews and 68 performances. A Catered Affair will close on July 27th …