TRUMPED:: Romney Stomps Rick Perry in Mich. Straw Poll!

More bad news for Rick Perry, though not as tough as yesterday's loss to Herman Cain: Mitt Romney walloped the Texas governor in his home state of Michigan, nabbing a whopping 51% in the Mackinac straw poll today, reports Hotline. Perry did hang onto second place, with 17%, while Cain grabbed third with 9%. Marco Rubio was the favorite for the vice-presidential nomination with 23%.

Her-STORY: Will Baldwin be the first openly Gay Senator?

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a self-described Wisconsin progressive, hopes to make a little history next year: She is running for Senate, and a victory would make her the first openly gay senator, notes the Huffington Post. 

Baldwin will likely be the most formidable Democrat in the race, writes Amanda Terkel, who notes that one potential GOP opponent—former Rep. Mark Neumann—once said, "If I was elected God for a day, homosexuality wouldn't be permitted, but nobody’s electing me God." Baldwin is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Herb Kohl. "All my life, the naysayers have told me that I can't win because I'm a progressive ... because I'm a woman ... even because I'm a lesbian," says Baldwin. "And I've proven them wrong."

THA BOMB: Activists Glitter-Bomb Anti-Gay MN Fair Booth From the Skies!

TARGETED: Kentucky Lesbian Couple and Children Attacked by Anti-Gay Crowd !

The complaint sent to Kentucky Equality Federation: I am a lesbian and have been with my partner for 5 1/2 years now. I have two small children, that we raise together as a family =) Accross the street from were we were parked, a party was going on and there was approx. 50+ people drinking and shooting fireworks. The crowd kept shooting fireworks in our direction, until one exploded near us, injuring my 2 children, several other family members, and my 80 yr old grandma. I addressed the crowd and told them to stop firing that they had hurt my children.. they proceeded to yell profanities at me including "We'll set everyone of the little Mother F**kers on fire!" At this time my father walked toward the crowd, and in effort to stop him I went behind him, once I had got away from my car I was attacked by a woman saying she was gonna kill me.

At this time my partner tried to stop her, and we were attacked by at least 15 men. All yelling "If you wanna look like a man, then fight like one" We were also called lesbians, whores, "pu**y licking whores" and dikes. No one else in our group was attacked but us. Then a gun was pulled and pointed at us and we were told "I'll kill your dike asses"... In the end, no shots were fired but my partner has suffered extensive contusions and at least one rib fracture, she is still undergoing treatment. I suffered from a closed head injury and intrasinus hemorrhage which is being treated now and damage is not yet determined. We were only able to identify 3 of the men involved. We pressed charges through the county attorney on July 5th. Today was our first appearance in court. A lawyer named Otis Doan is representing the other parties.. while testifying he questioned me about my lifestyle, he was very discrimating and ask me "do you promote this kind of life?" and made the comment "your a lesbian and live in Harlan county" then ask me if I still had "custody" of my children being a lesbian!!!

I was outraged but told him that it was called equality and I was not against any lifestyle. The judge did not stop his comments. One of the men was convicted to be sent to a grand jury for a felony, the other was dismissed, but we have to try and convict according to the county attorney. This has been a long process with a lot more to go. We need support for the gay community in this area. Otherwise, the court will use our sexuality against our case. PLEASE help us.. this was a hate crime and I believe the evidence should speak for itself. Thank you!! ~~

The Kentucky Equality Federation's press release regarding the Justice Dept. is here.

CORNERED: Gay Man Confronts Pawlenty 'You Are Discriminating Against Me"!

Friday at the Iowa State Fair, presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty was challenged on his anti-gay positions by a gay Minnesota resident in the audience, Igor Volsky at Think Progress LGBT reports.

Said the man: "I want to know know — when will you stand up for me…because you are discriminating against me and it hurts, it really does...I support that you have your moral values, but that is something that is hurting my future and how I get to live my life…why does government get involved in our marriages?"

Anti-Gay Indiana GOP Lawmaker Hinkle Offered Male Teen Money for Sex,!

Indiana State Representative Phillip Hinkle, who voted to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a man and a woman, has apparently been caught trying to bribe an 18-year-old male teen he met on Craigslist after what sounds like a sexual rendezvous/assault in a hotel room. Hinkle is says it's a "shakedown".

The Indy Star reports: The emails, sent from Hinkle's publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for "a couple hours of your time tonight" and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."

The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man -- who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old -- says, "I need a sugga daddy."

The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker. He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

OUTRAGE: Mitt Romney Gets Heckled at Iowa State Fair!

Mitt Romney was heckled after defending corporate rights on the campaign trail at the Iowa State Fair Thursday, TPM reports: Responding to a question from an audience member as to why Social Security should be included in deficit talks when it doesn't add to the deficit, Romney drifted into a defense of corporate rights.

"Corporations are people, my friend," he said. "Of course they are." After receiving jeers from the audience over the quote, he elaborated: "Everything corporations earn goes to people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings, my friend." 

Romney also raised his voice at another heckler, "If you don’t like my answer, you can go vote for someone else."

REGRETS: Dolly Parton Apologizes for 'Marriage is So Gay' T-Shirt Incident!

Dolly Parton has apologized for an incident at her theme park Dollywood in early July in which a lesbian, at the park with her wife and children, was asked to reverse a T-shirt that said "Marriage is So Gay" on it. 

Wrote Parton in a statement to ABC News: "I am truly sorry for the hurt or embarrassment regarding the gay and lesbian t-shirt incident at Dollywood's Splash Country recently. Everyone knows of my personal support of the gay and lesbian community. Dollywood is a family park and all families are welcome." Dolly adds that the policies on clothing or signs with profanity or controversial messages are in place to protect the person wearing the shirt and keep disturbances at the park to a minimum. Dolly concludes saying, "I am looking further into the incident and hope and believe it was more policy than insensitivity. I am very sorry it happened at all."

Bachmann Shuts Out Iowa News Station Over Questioning About Husband's 'Ex-Gay' Clinic!

Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign is shutting out news organizations that ask about her husband's clinic and its practice of "reparative therapy" for homosexuality.

A cameraman for WQAD in Davenport, Iowa describes how the Bachmann campaign scrubbed a promised interview because one of the station's anchors had repeatedly asked Bachmann about the Marcus Bachmann clinic and the undercover operation that exposed its "ex-gay" practices.

WQAD writes: At the end of last night's event the Bachmann campaign said the snubbing was based on interview questions News 8's Rae Chelle Davis asked the Congresswoman during a satellite interview two weeks ago. Undercover cameras had captured a counselor at the clinic owned by Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, conducting reparative therapy. ... Due to a pre-planned satellite interview, we were in the unique position to ask her about the controversy first.

During the satellite interview, behind the scenes, it got ugly. In the News 8 control room, campaign staffers threatened WQAD producers that they would cut off the feed if Rae Chelle repeated the question. A follow-up question was asked on the issue. The Congresswoman's answers were aired nationally on ABC World News Tonight and Nightline.

LIAR: Gay 'Barbarians' Tape Not Doctored!

Politico runs a big article on Michele Bachmann and her positions on gays and homosexuality containing perspectives from LGBT rights groups and groups like NOM. Maggie Gallagher predicts Bachmann's homophobia will lead her to victory in Iowa:

 

“The more that they attack Michele Bachmann on these grounds, the better her chances of winning the Iowa caucuses are,” said Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, who said she’d admired Bachmann since 2004. “The Iowa base is extremely upset about same-sex marriage and I don’t think they’re going to look kindly on these attacks.”

The Daily Beast's Michelle Cottle looks at discussion of Marcus Bachmann's sexuality and how it might affect his wife's campaign:

The more personal the persecution of her husband gets, tied as it is to his antigay labors, the more likely it is to steel Michele’s spine and persuade her to stay the course. “Most social conservatives agree with her about the homosexual issue,” asserts Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, predicting: “Not only is it not going to faze her, it will build sympathy for her among her supporters and admiration that she doesn’t back down.”

On Hardball on Friday, the entire "Barbarians" tape was aired. Bachmann suggested in an interview earlier that day that the tape was doctored and he wasn't talking about gays. It wasn't. In fact, he was talking about children coming to terms with their sexuality and telling their parents. 

NO DICE: Pawlenty won’t sign Iowa group’s gay marriage pledge!

(AP)-Republican Tim Pawlenty declined Wednesday to sign a pledge written by a conservative Iowa group that asks presidential candidates to denounce same-sex marriage rights, pornography and forms of Islamic law. Pawlenty said he agrees with the principles behind the Family Leader’s Marriage Vow, but not the way the 14-point pledge is cast. Earlier in the day, the former Minnesota governor released a new radio ad and a web video in which he and his wife Mary discuss their personal faith, anti-abortion views and opposition to gay marriage.

“Rather than sign onto the words chosen by others, I prefer to choose my own words, especially seeking to show compassion to those who are in broken families through no fault of their own,” Pawlenty said in written statement in which he insists he would “vigorously oppose” any efforts to allow same-sex marriage.

BANNED: Security Guard Tells Lesbian Couple NOT to Kiss!

A security guard at Minneapolis' Target Stadium told Taylor Campione and Kelsi Culpepper, a lesbian couple who briefly kissed as they separated to go to the bathroom at a Twins game, that they couldn't kiss.

Said the guard: "Here in the stadium we expect to adhere to the Ten Commandments."

WCCO reports:They spoke to the manager and were not satisfied. They want a “zero tolerance policy at Target Field, and have filed a complaint with the State Human Rights Department. Twins spokesman Kevin Smith said the guard, who has worked for the organization for nearly a decade, has been reprimanded for his actions, but continues to work at the stadium.

BANNED: Gay Men Kicked Out of Public Pool in Kentucky!

Two gay men with with developmental and intellectual disabilities were kicked out of a swimming area at The Pavilion, a government recreational facility in Hazard, Kentucky. The men were clients of Mending Hearts, Inc. which provides support for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, according to the Kentucky Equality Federation.

The KEF says that the official that kicked the men out cited The Bible as the reason: "The Pavilion staff immediately entered the pool area and asked my clients and their staff to leave the Pavilion," stated Shirlyn Perkins, Executive Director of [Mending Hearts]. "My staff asked The Pavilion staff why they were being asked to leave, and they were informed that 'gay people' weren't allowed to swim there. My staff told this man that what he was trying to do was discrimination. The man stated that what he was doing was in the Bible and he could do it. My staff continued to argue with this man, but was ultimately forced to leave. My clients, whom already feel ridiculed and different, left the city owned facility crying and embarrassed for trying to participate in 'normal' activities that everyday 'normal' people do." 

DOA: Tennessee Kills Law That Protected Gay Job Applicants!

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has signed a law forbidding local governments from creating their own anti-discrimination laws—like, for example the recent Nashville measure banning employers from discriminating against gay and lesbian applicants. A Haslam spokesman says the Republican governor had mixed feelings about “telling local governments what to do, but he also had concerns about local governments telling businesses what to do,” according to the Tennessean.


The bill passed the state’s Republican-led legislature easily, and initially had the backing of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. But the Chamber backed off after seeing the controversy the bill engendered. Gay rights groups vigorously opposed it. “The Tennessee Chamber supports a standard regulatory environment at the state level as opposed to potentially conflicting local regulations,” its executive committee said yesterday. But “because (the bill) has turned into a debate on diversity … which we support, we are now officially opposing this legislation.”

DEFEAT: Emotional Speech, Aftermath Of House Vote In Minnesota!

John Kriesel, a Republican and Iraqi war vet who lost the use of both of his legs, gave one of the night's most moving speeches against voting for the measure. Said Kriesel amid chants of protesters in the rotunda of the Capitol outside of the chamber: "This amendment doesn't represent what I went to fight for. This doesn't represent that. Hear that out there? That's the America I fought for, and I'm proud of that."

HALTED: Wisconsin Wants to Stop Gay Couples' Hospital Visits!

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker isn't steering clear of political flash points: He wants the state to stop defending a law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Republican governor has asked a judge for permission to stop defending a law put in place under the watch of his Democratic predecessor. He contends it violates the state constitution, which bans gay marriage.


Democrats in 2009 worked in a loophole so same-sex partners could visit each other in the hospital, the Journal Sentinel explains. Couples could register as domestic partners and get some of the rights, including hospital visitation, as married couples. A group called Wisconsin Family Action sued the state last year, and the Walker administration agrees with its view that the law violates a 2006 amendment banning gay marriage. "Governor Walker, in deference to the legal opinion of the attorney general that the domestic partner registry...is unconstitutional, does not believe the public interest requires a continued defense of this law," says a brief filed last week.

A-MEN: How Many Gay People Must God Create Before We Accept He Wants Them Around?

Minnesota Representative Steve Simon's statement was posted Yesterday on Gay Blogs galore and really made a great impression.with his absolutely incredible speech before the House Panel that moved the state’s proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage even further along.

While Simon’s words failed to change the minds of his Republican colleagues – they all voted to ban gay marriage – his speech obviously hit home for those in attendance. The crowded room was chastised by another member of the hearing after they broke into applause for Simon.

Three Printers Refuse To Publish Kent State LGBT Student Publication!

Three printing companies have refused to publish the spring edition of Fusion, a Campus Progress-sponsored LGBT magazine at Kent State University, citing concerns over its images and language, reports the Huffington Post.


The controversy has cost Fusion, Campus Progress' 2010 awardee for Best Overall Publication, more than $2,000, its editor says, as well as substantial effort as students try to release the issue before the school year ends next week.

One company after another turned Fusion down before a fourth printer agreed to take the issue to press.

"We are very surprised that it happened more than once," says Raytevia Evans, the editor of Fusion and a first-year journalism and mass communications graduate student at Kent State.

Missouri School Sends Bisexual Student Home for 'Queer' T-Shirt

A teacher and assistant principal at Liberty High School in Liberty, Missouri sent bisexual student Jesse Irey home for wearing a t-shirt that said "Queer + Str8 = Equal" because they said it was hateful even though other kids were wearing shirts directly expressing intolerance, FOX4KC reports.

"What people are trying to do is take the word back so it's not an offensive slur," said Irey, who says that he is particularly upset because other students at the school were allowed to wear anti-gay shirts at school after the school's Gay-Straight Alliance wore shirts that read 'Gay-Fine by Me.'

"Kids wore shirts like this that said 'Straight - the only thing fine by me,'" said Irey.

"(School officials) didn't ask those students to turn their shirts inside out," said Kelly Smith, Irey's mother. She says that since her son came out as bisexual, he has been harassed at school by other students and teachers.