Two British men have been sentenced to four years in prison for blackmailing men that they met on Grindr. Via Gay Star News: Nathanael Foster and Adam Webb, both 26 from Gloucester in South West England, were charged with two counts of blackmail. Gloucester Crown Court heard how the pair trapped two men, with one victim even handing over £15,000 …

In Mexico, Hillary Clinton says she has a “unique vantage point” on the Presidency and will make 2016 decision by “first of the year.” — Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) September 5, 2014

Apple CEO Tim Cook today vowed to make it harder for hackers to access information stored on the company’s iCloud service. Cook said celebrities’ iCloud accounts were compromised when hackers correctly answered security questions to obtain their passwords, or when they were victimized by a phishing scam to obtain user IDs and passwords. He said none of the Apple IDs …

Here’s the decision. The high court said Friday the 2nd District Court of Appeal first should rule on the case, in which a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts and is now seeking a divorce in Florida. A lower court judge ruled that the couple couldn’t get divorced in Florida because the state’s constitution doesn’t recognize gay marriage. Before considering the …

“Madonna doesn’t have an ego problem; she has a sin problem. And it’s getting worse. Unrepentant and hardened from sin, no amount of make-up or photo-shop can conceal the evil in her eyes. Ensnaring millions into a web of destruction, Madonna is preparing fans for a specific event. Using biblical discernment concerning the times in which we live, and her …

Out comedienne Lily Tomlin is among the 2014 recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced the selection of the five individuals who will receive the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors. Recipients to be honored at the 37th annual national celebration of the arts are: singer Al Green, actor and filmmaker Tom …

California should soon become the first state to ban the so-called “gay panic” defense in violent crimes against LGBT citizens. A bill awaiting Brown’s approval would prohibit the use of the defense — the argument that a violent act was triggered by the revelation of a victim’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation — in …

From the editorial board of the New York Times: As important as the federal appeals court ruling was on Thursday declaring same-sex marriage bans in two states to be unconstitutional, the clarity and blunt reasoning behind the decision was equally momentous. Writing for a unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Judge Richard …

From his first album in 13 years. Gorgeous. That hauntingly altered voice, those glimmering pianos, and an off-balance sense of forward motion mark “minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]” as undoubtedly the work of experimental electronic pioneer Richard D. James. But there is a sense of completing the circle here too, as if James is now being inspired by some of …

“When I die (and yes, Melissa, that day will come; and yes, Melissa, everything’s in your name), I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. I want Craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don’t want some rabbi rambling …

From Karen Ocamb at Frontiers Magazine: “Joan Rivers was not only pro-gay – she was out in front raising money for people with AIDS very early on – when many were still terrified of the disease. She was featured on the cover of Frontiers Magazine promoting an AIDS fundraiser at Studio One in March 1984 that raised $45,000 for APLA, …

The White House yesterday appointed out Google executive Megan Smith as the Obama administration’s new Chief Technology Officer. Smith, the new U.S. CTO, is an MIT-trained mechanical engineer and entrepreneur with deep roots in the California tech world. She currently serves as a vice president at Google[x], the company’s lab for ambitious next-generation projects, like its delivery-by-drone Project Wing and …

From God’s Gentle People at the Illinois Family Institute, the former home of Porno Pete. Details.

“I am very troubled that this court failed to recognize the self-evident truth that children need and deserve a mom and dad. The ruling doesn’t appear to allow society to choose to maintain a coherent definition of marriage. The courts have no true constitutional authority to unilaterally change the definition of our most fundamental social institution. Yet this court is …

I missed it at the time, but last week the Log Cabin Republicans of Miami endorsed Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The Miami Herald has the press release: Log Cabin Republicans of Miami are proud to Endorse the Re-Election of Rick Scott for Governor of Florida. Actions speak louder than words. Rick Scott Campaigned in 2010 on creating jobs and lowering …

In two separate briefs, a total of 32 states have asked the Supreme Court to make a final ruling on same-sex marriage. Via the Associated Press: Fifteen states that allow gay marriage, led by Massachusetts, filed a brief asking the justices to take up three cases from Virginia, Utah and Oklahoma and overturn bans. And 17 other states, led by …

Via the ACLU of Florida: Today, defendants in two federal lawsuits challenging Florida’s marriage ban – Governor Scott appointees John Armstrong (Surgeon General) and Craig Nichols (Secretary of the Department of Management Services), and Washington County Clerk of Court Harold Bazzell— filed a notice that they are appealing the August 21 ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle overturning Florida’s …

“Today the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals sent a shocking and destructive message to Indiana lawmakers and all Hoosier citizens: Moms and Dads are optional. The 40 page decision departs from the constitutional role of the judiciary to interpret the law and instead the Court assumes a moral superiority over the people of Indiana and our elected leaders. The Court …

This morning the Dallas CBS affiliate reported that a group called American Decency will be protesting against Michael Sam at this weekend’s Cowboys game. Another group calling themselves American Decency, about whom I’ve written in the past, wants you to know while they definitely hate homosexuals, they aren’t behind the alleged protest in Dallas. We started the day with hate …