The marriage equality hearing in Kansas has begun and NPR reporter Peggy Lowe is live-tweeting from inside the courtroom.

It’s been a horrible week for the space industry.

Porno Pete and Canadian crackpot Bill Whatcott yesterday picketed outside a Saskatchewan courthouse before they had their trial on “mischief” charges for their April stunt in which they demonstrated without a permit on the campus of the University of Regina in a protest against “homosexualism.” From the Leader-Post: At their trial today, court heard they were asked to leave the …

“What could he bring us? The ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhea? They all have unseemly ties over there. Ban him for life.” – St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, calling for Russia to ban Apple CEO Tim Cook from ever visiting. Milonov, who is partly responsible for Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda,” has led numerous anti-gay demonstrations, some of which have resulted …

Via press release from Out Leadership: Out Leadership, a strategic advisory firm dedicated to cultivating LGBT and ally senior leaders to create global business opportunity and drive equality forward, congratulates Apple CEO Tim Cook on the occasion of his coming out publicly. “While Tim Cook chose to publicly identify himself as gay for the first time yesterday, he and Apple …

“I like Halloween because it’s the one time of year you can dress up however you want, and pretend you’re someone you’d never be in real life. For me, that’s married to a man.” (Via Towleroad)

Via Patheos: Christian terror? In a grisly murder an Oklahoma college student with strong Christian beliefs nearly decapitates a young man because the victim practiced witchcraft. Isaiah Zoar Marin, 21, is charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Jacob Andrew Crockett, 19. Marin is accused of using a “long knife or sword” to kill Crockett. According to a court …

New York Times writer David Dunlap compares the US media’s reaction to ebola to what followed after his own paper’s Lawrence Altman made the first notable mention of AIDS in 1983: I can easily imagine the metro desk of 2015 jumping in to follow up on Altman’s account: “Find out who’s died. Call Larry [Kramer]. Reach out to the families. …

Longtime LGBT ally and former Boston Mayor Tom Menino died yesterday at the age of 71. Thomas Michael Menino, who insisted a mayor doesn’t need a grand vision to lead, then went on to shepherd Boston’s economy and shape the skyline and the very identity of the city he loved through an unprecedented five consecutive terms in City Hall, died …

“It’s curious that virtually everything that comes out of Senator Cruz’s mouth is either an insult or a put-down. Today, it was Tim Cook, LGBT Americans and three of the GOP’s most revered leaders. Positivity training should be on his to-do list. Lighten up, Ted. Coming out is the most courageous and important thing that an LGBT person will do …

Matt Comer writes at Q Notes: The North Carolina Republican Party has put their official stamp of approval on an anti-LGBT mailer sent to voters in and around Fayetteville, N.C., just days before the general election. The mailers decry the “Homosexual Agenda” and accuse LGBT groups of seeking “special rights for homosexuals.” The GOP’s mailer target Democratic state Senate candidate …

“It’s a gargantuan lie to get votes. It’s as big a lie as the ‘culture of rape’ on your campuses. What nonsense. There is a culture of rape on campuses run by the feminist left? What do you cite to sell me this nonsense? One in five women are sexually assaulted on campuses. Do you know what sexual assault means? …

Via Pink News: A picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting an orphanage has gone viral – and you will never guess why. The supreme leader of the secretive state was seen in photos released today, visiting a state-funded children’s home. However, eagle-eyed internet users spotted two plush toys behind Kim Jong Un – who appear to be …

Via the Philadelphia Inquirer: City Council unanimously approved a measure on Thursday that would make it a crime to harm someone because of sexual orientation, gender identity, or disabilities. The proposal was triggered by the Sept. 11 assault on a gay couple in Center City. In that case, police arrested three people but could not charge them with a hate …

Via the Huffington Post: Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) vowed Thursday to keep fighting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage in his state, even as that effort costs Idaho tens of thousands of dollars. “I’m not ready to surrender to a few folks in black robes,” Otter said during a gubernatorial debate. “I’m not ready to surrender the …

Wikipedia: “The Rick and Bubba Show is heard each weekday morning on their flagship station WZZK and on over 50 radio stations in 15 states – mostly in the Southern United States.” UPDATE: Perhaps out of shame, but more likely due to the widespread outrage, the duo has removed the clip from their Facebook page and made it private on …