Joe.My.God. LGBT News

At 53rd & Third, the 34-story Phillip Johnson co-designed Lipstick Building went up in 1986. Built to resemble a tube of red lipstick (I see brown, but whatevs) the tower is home to the headquarters of the massive international law firm, Latham & Watkins. The Lipstick is my favorite Phillip Johnson building in Manhattan. His Seagram Building (co-designed with Ludwig …

The flags at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are flying at half-mast today. Brooke Astor has died at age 105, taking with her, perhaps, the final bit of New York City’s so-called Gilded Age of elegance and privilege. Known for the last four decades as the “leading lady” of high society, the unofficial First Lady of NYC, Ms. Astor used …

The San Diego Fire Department has changed its policy regarding firefighters and parades. In the future, on-duty firemen will no longer be required to drive in any parade. All future parade participation will be on a volunteer basis and four hours of overtime will be paid to those that volunteer. The right-wing Christian law firm representing the firemen who claim …

Gay blogs are buzzing with outrage today over an Arlington, Texas church’s cancellation of the funeral of a gay man. The High Point Church cancelled the service, planned for Wednesday, after viewing memorial photos of the deceased hugging and kissing male friends. Towleroad reports: [Reverend Gary] Simons defended his decision to renege on the offer to his congregation on Sunday, …

“To gays and lesbians, flubbing the choice-vs.-nature question is like botching the answer to “What’s one plus one?” Note to [New Mexico Governor] Richardson’s current and former gay staffers and supporters: Do an intervention — and get him an Ambien — before he implodes again.” – Visible Vote ’08 panelist and Washington Post reporter Jonathan Capehart, commenting on Richardson’s contention …

NYC Mayor Michael “Not Running For President” Bloomberg will be touring the country this fall to raise money for the World Trade Center Memorial Fund. Purely by coincidence, the states he will visit happen to be the important early presidential primary states: South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin. Oh, and he also recently bought the following domains: Mike08.com, …

Dubya will announce later today that Karl “Voldemort” Rove will resign from his post at the end of this month. Rove told the Wall Street Journal that White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten told Bush administration officials that anybody who stayed past Labor Day would be expected to work out the remainder of the term. Once Rove leaves, Bush’s …

Merv Griffin, the quietly gay legendary talk show host, entrepreneur, and game show creator, died of prostate cancer this weekend. The creator of Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune, Griffin made billions, occasionally landing on Forbes list of the world’s richest men. Married in 1958, divorcing 15 years and one son later, Griffin was well-known to be gay, although he kept …

The Beaux Arts exit from the Manhattan Bridge to Canal Street is closed during repairs to the lower roadway, allowing me to grab this shot. Based on Paris’ Porte St. Denis arch, it’s normally clogged with vehicles.

Blowoff was a smash, as always: great tunes, cool video effects, hot banners, and packed with friendly faces. Two highlights: Bob Mould spinning a great reworking of Bronksi Beat’s Smalltown Boy and Why, during which a hot thing named Jocelyn (pictured below) blew us away singing along so amazingly on the dance floor that my goosebumps had goosebumps. Somebody needs …