Today SF Mayor Gavin Newsom talks to Maureen O’Dowd about leaving politics and his disappointment with President Obama on gay marriage. “Oh, I can’t get in trouble here,” Newsom said with a playful wince. “I want him to succeed. But I am very upset by what he’s not done in terms of rights of gays and lesbians. I understand it …

Two hot new singles from gay artists are out this week. First, Blowoff DJ and remix king Rich Morel has just released his take on Alan Cumming’s Next To Me, which is from Cumming’s new album, I Bought A Blue Car Today. Now available on iTunes. Another typically fantastic Pink Noise Mix from Rich. And B-52s frontman Fred Schneider has …

As the campaigns against gays in Uganda and Malawi continue to garner international headlines, many LGBT people across Africa are retreating further into the closet, fearful for their lives. This retreat effectively cuts many off from HIV/AIDS prevention outreach and life saving medications. Via PlusNews: More than two-thirds of African countries have laws criminalizing homosexual acts, and despite accounting for …

“Nothing should have been a bigger red flag to the new administration than the growing complaints by established progressive bloggers that Democrats were veering off track on the stimulus, the health care bill, civil liberties, gay rights, and more. But scoffing at the netroots is second nature in many quarters of the political establishment, even though they laid the groundwork …

Several times in recent weeks, commenters on this and other LGBT blogs have feuded over reader statements that the perpetrators of hate crimes deserve to get raped in prison. This has generated a number of complaining emails to me, including a couple from LGBT prisoner activists. Pertinent to that issue, the photos above are part of a new awareness campaign …

New estimates put the death toll in Haiti at over 200,000. That number approaches the estimated 230,000 killed by 2004’s Indian Ocean tsunami. With thousands of bodies being shoveled into mass graves, there is no accurate tally of the casualty count. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Tuesday that 72,000 bodies had been recovered by the government. The European Commission, citing …

Three weeks after same-sex marriage became legal in New Hampshire, the state’s bigots are already hard at work towards repealing the law. Two proposed bills, one to repeal marriage equality and the other to amend the state constitution, will be heard today by New Hampshire’s House Judiciary Committee, where the bills are expected to die. Opponents know their chances of …

Writing on NOM’s blog, Maggie Gallagher claims that Prop 8 would never have happened had San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders not come out in support of marriage equality. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders testified today in the Prop 8 trial, in favor of misusing the Consittution to overturn the rights of 7 million Californian voters. Here’s the interesting thing most …

Conservatives are rushing out videos supporting candidates they are now trumpeting as the “next Scott Brown.” First out of the gate is California U.S. Senate teabagger and birther candidate Chuck DeVore, who is running in the GOP primary against former HP CEO Carly Fiorina for Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat.

“In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent …

It is as it was feared. In a dramatic upset that will end Democrats’ super majority in the Senate, Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley to claim the seat held by the late Ted Kennedy for more than 46 years. Coakley called Brown to concede the race shortly before 9:30 p.m., a Democratic aide told ABC News. After …

Box Turtle Bulletin reports that Uganda MP David “Kill Gays” Behati has been disinvited from next month’s National Prayer Breakfast, where President Obama is scheduled to speak. Via Advocate: Ambassador Richard Swett, a spokesman for the breakfast, confirmed that Bahati was no longer allowed to come to the event, scheduled for February 4. He added, “The National Prayer Breakfast is …

Courtesy of the publisher, today’s Swag Tuesday prize is the latest book from gay author Benoit Denizet-Louis, American Voyeur: Dispatches From The Far Reaches Of Modern Life, which is now available at booksellers nationwide. Award-winning New York Times Magazine writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis’s scrutiny of American youth culture and the social politics of sex has made him one of the most …

JMG reader Mike sends us this view of his street today as Los Angeles experiences one of its heaviest storms in a very long time. A waterspout had LA County on a tornado alert in the last couple of hours, but it apparently did not reach land. On the upside, the storm is replenishing reservoirs parched by a year-long drought.

The polls haven’t even closed in Massachusetts yet, but Scott Brown is telling the media that he is going to Washington tomorrow to demand that he be seated at once so that he can immediately begin tearing down our tyrannical Marxist overlords. The GOP has been screaming that Democrats are plotting to delay Brown’s official recognition until the coming healthcare …

A federal court has ruled that the University of California does not have to certify Christian high schools that teach creationism and other dumbass ideas. Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta, Calif., and the Association of Christian Schools International claimed the university’s review policy was unconstitutional because it refused to certify courses that taught creationism and other beliefs. “The district …

Coachella just released their list of performers for this year’s festival. Artists of note include Grace Jones, La Roux, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, LCD Soundsystem, The Specials, Echo & The Bunnymen, Devo, Hot Chip, John Waters, Kaskade, MGMT, The Specials, Orbital, Yo La Tengo, Little Boots, Gary Numan, Tiesto, and Benny Benassi. (My “performers of note” may differ from yours, …

The Shiba Inu mommy is back with another litter.

Faded novelty song hitmaker Ray Stevens joins Bill O’Reilly to complain that it’s getting harder to get away with mocking Arabs. After playing a bit of his latest wingnut video, Stevens tells O’Reilly that he’s “to the right of Attila The Hun” politically. They go on to discuss Stevens’ 60’s hit Ahab The Arab, which I’m embarrassed to say I …