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Nevada Legislature Overrides Governor's Domestic Partners Veto

Now this is major. The Nevada Assembly and Senate vote to override anti-gay, Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto and to allow domestic partnerships, gay and straight, that offer many of the same benefits of married couples, the AP reports.

The Assembly's 28-14 vote was the bare two-thirds majority needed and followed the state Senate's override 14-7—also the bare two-thirds majority—a day earlier. Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, voted against the bill the first time it appeared in the Senate. Nolan changed his vote and says he received many calls that were 'ugly, vulgar and threatening messages' from people who opposed the bill. Nolan tells the Review-Journal: "Those kinds of calls do not mesh with 'the Christian beliefs I was brought up with."

The casino industry lobbied heavily for this bill. Jan Jones, senior vice president of Harrah's Entertainment, which offers benefits to partners of gay employees, told The Advocate on Tuesday: "Most of us in Nevada absolutely support gay and lesbian rights. This is a big fight. We're not ready to give up. We want to override the veto. We’re not walking away from you; don’t walk away from us."

The anti-gay, scandal-plagued and highly unpopular Gibbons vetoed the bill to, in his words, "protect marriage" in the state of Nevada. Gibbons is currently being divorced by his wife, First Lady Dawn Gibbons, and accused of having multiple affairs.

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Review 2.0

California Supremes uphold Prop 8...
But do not invalidate existing sex marriages.
Only one justice votes against Prop 8.
Challenge to Prop 8 filed in federal court.
Gay rights demonstration at Obama's DNC fundraiser.
Did the president joke about gay protesters?
White House has no comment on Prop 8.
Pretty Ricky's Spectacular grinds in red underwear!
Hotness: Nate Gill for GQ.
Obama to name Sotomayor as Supreme Court nominee...
Would become court's first Hispanic justice.
"Traditional marriage" activist and Catholic "priestess"...
Removed from near Air Force One.
Radical Shiite cleric warns against anti-gay violence?
Gay Muslim storyline on popular British soap.
Swazi MP says HIV positive should be "branded."
Is New York City the top city for "tops"?
Hotness: The Shawn Sutton video.
The fabulous Vanessa Williams.
Illinois moving toward civil unions.
GOP determined to battle Sotomayor.
Anti-Gay ministers want referendum on D.C. marriage.
Sotomayor opposed anti-gay harassment at Princeton.
Mega Hotness: The Tyson Kobie Workout.

Outrage After Swazi MP Suggests HIV Positive Should Be "Branded"

A Swaziland member of parliament is forced to distance himself from remarks made last week when he suggested HIV positive people in the small kingdom should branded on the buttocks.

Earlier this week at a workshop for MPs, Timothy Myeni, an evangelical Christian and the leader of a gospel group, suggested HIV testing should be mandatory. Myeni said: "Once you test positive, you should be branded on the buttocks. Before having sex with anyone, people will then check the buttocks of their partners before proceeding with their mission." Myeni has apologized and says he was "misquoted." 

The widely-reported comments drew outrage from HIV/AIDS action groups and sparked an uproar in Southern Africa and in Swaziland. The landlocked mountain kingdom is one of the world's poorest nations and has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. An estimated 43 percent of its citizens are HIV positive.

Radical Iraqi Shiite Cleric: Hate Gays But Do Not Kill Them

An update to the ongoing campaign of torture and murder of suspected gay men conducted by some religious extremists in Iraq. Moqtada Sadr, the powerful radical Shiite cleric, says the "depravity" of homosexuality must be eradicated but warned the anti-gay violence must stop, according to a spokesman quoted by the AFP.

" 'The purpose of the meetings is to fight the depravity and to urge the community to reject this phenomenon,' said Sheikh Wadea al-Atabi, referring to a Thursday seminar attended by clerics, tribal leaders and police. 'The only remedy to stop it is through preaching and guidance. There is no other way to put an end to it,' he said, stressing that the movement could not resort to violence after a series of killings of gay men in Baghdad. 'Al-Sadr rejects this type of violence ... and anyone who commits violence (against gays) will not be considered as being one of us.' "

Recent, gruesome attacks against suspected gays are increasing in Shiite neighborhoods, especially in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, Baghdad. Shiite-affiliated Iraqi militia have been accused of killing gay men and suspected gay men with horrific anal superglue torture. Amnesty International wrote a letter to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last month urging government protection of homosexuals.

Sadr's motives are uncertain. But with the Iraqi government having limited authority and the United States unable to curtail the anti-gay violence—or indeed much of the other violence in Iraq—Moqtada Sadr is the only authority who can exert some influence. A radical Islamic cleric warning against anti-gay violence. Who would have thunk it?

Sadr Wants "Depraved" Homosexuality Eradicated [AFP]

Some Background ...
Iraqi Militia Killing Gay Men with Horrific Anal Torture? [R20]

Gay Muslim Storyline to Debut on Britain's Popular "EastEnders"

A Muslim character will have a gay love affair on EastEnders, the popular British soap opera on BBC1.

Syed Masood, the 24-year-old Muslim property developer played by Marc Elliott, will fall for openly gay man Christian Clarke (John Partridge) and the pair will share an on-screen kiss. Syed has a girlfriend, but it will be revealed Syed has been desperately trying to repress his true sexuality, according to the Sun.

Elliott tells the BBC: "I think that's really important because I think London is a very ethnically diverse multicultural place, and EastEnders has a job to reflect that in the storylines it gives people and the characters they have on board."

Gay Muslim activists applaud the storyline but traditional Muslim groups are critical and demand a "normal" character. "There's a lack of understanding of Muslims already and I think EastEnders really lost an opportunity to present a normal friendly Muslim character to the British public," Asghar Bokhari of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee tells the BBC.

British Muslims are more homophobic and hold more conservative opinions towards homosexuality than European counterparts. A Gallup survey earlier this month found none of the 500 people questioned believing that homosexual acts were morally acceptable.

Gay Muslim Story for EastEnders [BBC]
EastEnders Gay Muslim Plot [Sun]

Thanks JOHN in London!

New York City is Top for "Tops"?

Via the always delightful Joe.My.God: The Sword surveyed Craigslist ads in the 10 largest American cities. Survey says ... New Yorkers are the most willing to "top" and Houston has the most "bottoms". Who knows, maybe that's because things are "bigger" in Texas?

Houston, Miami and San Francisco lead the way with the most catchers, the survey finds "There were only three cities on our list with more tops—New York City, Atlanta and Washington D.C—with pushy New York leading the way with 54% of those endlessly amusing M4M posts looking for a bottom."

More than 50% of the online ads in ATLANTA and WASHINGTON DC are looking to pitch? Really? Is that everyone else's experience?

"Traditional Marriage" Activist Removed From Near Air Force One

An anti-gay religious columnist and self-professed "Roman Catholic Priestess" was forcibly removed from the Air Force One security area after attempting to give President Barack Obama a letter supporting traditional marriage, reports the AP and USA Today.

Brenda Lee, who describes herself as a Roman Catholic priestess from Anaheim, was waiting for Obama to arrive at LAX on his way out of town, she tells the Associated Press. Lee is a columnist for the monthly Georgia Informer in Macon and said she has White House press credentials. She told AP she asked a Secret Service agent to give the president her letter, but he refused and referred her to a White House staffer. Lee refused to give the staffer the letter. She said she was asked to leave. When she protested, two security officials carted her off.

Lee wrote anti-gay screeds in her column and was an active proponent of Proposition 8, the LA Weekly reports."GOD'S mercy is not everlasting," Lee wrote last year. "That is why there is death and hell. Californians will vote Yes on Proposition 8 to establish marriage between a man and woman or they will go down for their wickedness."

The Tyson Kobie Workout

Last month Rod 2.0 introduced you to our new crush-object-to-be who will cover the summer issue of Flavamen (nsfw). The model is actually credited as Tyson Kobie, so we wanted to re-introduce you with some more images from an upcoming editorial. As you can see, Tyson is very fit and bulging in all the right places.

Since you're probably wondering what Tyson does to pump up that beautiful body, there is also a  video clip or two of his workout. I like his voice, which matches his face and body (=Aberzombie).

AFTER THE JUMP, Tyson bares his bulging assets and demonstrates his workout. Enjoy.

Watch: Obama's "Keep Your Promise" Clip at the Beverly Hilton

About Obama's remarks last night at the Beverly Hilton ...

Tone and context are of the utmost importance. Here is the video clip of Obama speaking at the Democratic fundraiser where the president says he heard one of the protesters say, "Obama keep your promise." The president continued, "I thought that’s fair. I don’t know which promise he was talking about." The president smiled and the audience laughed.

In all fairness, it is unclear if he was making fun of the gay rights demonstration, the various other demonstrators with different causes, or, perhaps, his many campaign promises. On the highly unlikely chance the Secret Service did not tell him about the gay demonstration, and Obama could not distinguish between the Armenian flag and the rainbow flag or a Prop 8 sign: The president is still making light of progressive protesters to gazillionaire studio executives such as Spielberg and Katzenberg and others paying up to $30,000 to hear him speak. It's an ill-advised attempt at being off-the-cuff.

Judge for yourself. AFTER THE JUMP, watch the clip.

Sotomayor Spoke Out Against Harassment of Gay Princeton Students in 1976

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the president's nominee to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, has yet to rule on gay rights cases but many gay activists are pleased with her record on privacy and equality. If you care to read the tea leaves, maybe these words from more than 30 years ago may help.

The Daily Princetonian reprints a letter to the editor from February 27, 1976. It was written in response to an incident that week when eight students ransacked the dorm room of two gay students who were members of the Gay Alliance of Princeton. The letter was signed by 39 individuals—including Sonia Sotomayor '76. The letter reads in part:

For private citizens to try to intimidate the Gay Alliance into silence is a denial of the foundations on which a university is built. No matter how much one may disagree with the Gay Alliance or the policies they are advocating, no matter how repugnant one may find homosexuality, the manner of expressing this opposition should be intellectual. At this university we are dedicated to persuasion by reason, not by brute force. Intimidation of those courageous enough to express their views, violence directed against unpopular associations, midnight criminal assaults on private residences— these speak for themselves. The entire university community should be angry, and disgusted, that this kind of action has occurred at Princeton.

That is a clear contrast to fellow Princeton alum and right-wing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who was associated and the anti-gay, racist and misogynist Concerned Alumni of Princeton at around the same time.

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