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President Obama Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Billie Jean King and Harvey Milk

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian award—to 16 highly accomplished individuals including openly gay tennis superstar Billie Jean King and iconic gay activist and politician Harvey Milk.

Remarking on King, who became one of the first openly gay sports figures when she came out in 1981, the President said: "With Billie Jean King pushing us, the road ahead will be smoother for women, the future will be brighter for LGBT Americans, and our nation's commitment to equality will be stronger for all."

Presenting the posthumous award to Milk, which was accepted by his nephew Stuart Milk, the President remarked: "Harvey Bernard Milk dedicated his life to shattering boundaries and challenging assumptions. As one of the first openly gay elected officials in this country, he changed the landscape of opportunity for the nation's gay community."

Other honorees included Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, former SCLC President Rev. Joseph Lowery, Sen. Ted Kennedy, British physicist Stephen Hawking and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. WHEN YOU JUMP, a few more photos and video of the presentations to King and Milk.

News: Vanessa Williams, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tom Varndell

· Gay veteran speaks out against "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

· Everything you always wanted to know about rugby phenom Tom Varndell but were afraid to ask.

· An Illinois House committee advances a civil unions bill, the Chicago Tribune reports. "If it becomes law, the bill would make Illinois the sixth state to approve civil unions, meant to give same-sex couples the same 'basic rights' as married couples, said sponsoring Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago). 'It appears that people have a concern with the intermingling of religious and civil marriage,' Harris said. 'But a lot of people, the vast majority, believe that all couples deserve basic rights.' Harris said. Harris said he is unsure if he has enough support for the measure to pass the full House."

· San Francisco police arrest 175 anti-Prop 8 protesters.

· Sen. Barbara Boxer on Rachel Maddow: "The California Supreme Court was right the first time they decided on marriage. Ron George, a Republican, wrote this beautiful decision that you have to have the same rules of marriage. We're going to have to go back to the ballot."

· Vanessa Williams talks to Out.com about her new CD The Real Thing and her role as Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty. "I absolutely love her. It’s a ball to work on, and it just gets more and more delicious every season. We are going to be doing a musical episode where everyone is going to sing. I also sang in the season finale this year with Christine Baranski. Every season they give me more and more things to do. I’m playing tennis with Billie Jean King. I’m speaking French. It just seems like Wilhelmina is an expert at everything. The challenge is always looking like everything is effortless."

· There are competing marriage bills in Pennsylvania. "Sen. Daylin Leach (D) announced his marriage equality bill on Wednesday. The bill would provide 'full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania', said Leach. The legislation also would recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other areas where they are legal. Earlier this month, Republican state Sen. John Eichelberger filed a bill to amend the state constitution to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. The state already has a so-called Defense of Marriage law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples."

Rod 2.0 on Logo

Logo debuts Visible Vote 08, a microsite devoted to the upcoming Logo/Human Rights Campaign presidential forum on August 9th. Every day for the next week, the site will feature essays and blog posts on the upcoming election. One of the first essays published is ours.

A number of prominent gay men and lesbians—such as Billie Jean King, Wilson Cruz, Richard Kim, Martina Navratilova—have been invited to participate so it's definitely an honor to be included. Some straight allies are also taking part. Cyndi Lauper—who recently headlined the HRC True Colors Tour—wrote a post yesterday.

John Polly at New Now Next has done a stellar job editing the site. Stop by and check out what everyone has to say.

Hillary Clinton Campaign Launches LGBT Steering Committee

Much of the recent gay-related news from the presidential campaign has come from the John Edwards camp, whose strong LGBT positions have gained him traction within the community. Now, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination—according to the latest New Hampshire polls—raises the bar. Sen. Hillary Clinton announced a new steering committee comprised of prominent gays and lesbians to reach out to the community.

"LGBT Americans for Hillary" is a described as "a national steering committee of over 65 leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community" whose membership includes "LGBT elected officials, activists from national LGBT and Democratic Party political groups as well as leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment and sports." One of the most prominent names is New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn:

"I've seen how Hillary Clinton's experience, commitment, and leadership have made a difference for the LGBT community. From her efforts to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment to standing up for our rights in employment practices, there is no one else in this race who will fight harder for the LGBT community. She's ready to be our next president and I look forward to organizing the LGBT community on her behalf."

The steering committee also includes sports great Billie Jean King, recording industry lobbyist Hilary Rosen, former Clinton Administration cabinet official Fred Hochberg and many of the other prominent LGBT supporters previously mentioned on Rod 2.0. Full list here.

Just as an FYI, the Clinton campaign also recognized the 38th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and issued the press release on the front page of the campaign website. That front-page treatment is a contrast to previous announcements regarding LGBT positions. We're moving on up in visibility ...

Clinton Announces LGBT Steering Committee [HRC]
Poll Shows Clinton Winning NH by Landslide [WBZ]

Some Background ...

Clinton Names Prominent Gay Supporters [R20]
Clinton, Edwards Oppose Surgeon General Nominee [R20]
Clinton Camp Targets Gay and Lesbian Donors [R20]
Obama Campaign Names Gay Supporters [R20]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
Memo to Mr. Geffen: Get Over It [R20]
Hillary Big Brother "Ad" [R20]
Obama Strategist Behind Hillary Big Brother Ad [R20]

Hillary Clinton Campaign Names Prominent Gay Supporters

The presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has released an early list of prominent gay professionals, politicians and activists who support her White House bid. This follows a similar move by the John Edwards campaign last week, and, renewed interest in LGBT support for the candidates after our recent cover story for The Advocate on gays and the presidential election.

Here is the list of prominent gay and lesbians supporting Hillary Clinton for President:

Christopher Barley, New York City physician

Mary Breslauer, HRC’s XM radio show The Agenda

Ilene Chaiken, creator and executive producer of The L Word

Bruce Cohen, film and television producer

Tom Duane, New York state senator

Steve Elmendorf, president of Elmendorf Strategies

Ethan Geto, publicist and political consultant

Emily Giske, Democratic National Committe

Deborah Glick, New York state Assembly

Chad Griffin, political consultant

Rebecca Haag, executive director of AIDS Action

Fred Hochberg, former Bill Clinton cabinet appointee and dean at The New School

Roberta Kaplan, attorney

Billie Jean King, sports legend and activist

Neel Lattimore, Hillary's former press secretary as First Lady, currently communications director at Children’s Defense Fund

Rachel Lavine, New York state committee member

Danny O’Donnell, New York state Assembly

Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council

Hilary Rosen, recording industry executive, HRC board member

Peter Rosenstein, gay rights activist

Mirian Saez, Democratic National Committee

Jeff Soref, former chair of the Democratic National Committee LGBT caucus

Jill Stauffer, HRC board member

Sally Susman, executive vice president for global communications at Estee Lauder Companies

Matthew Titone, New York state Assembly

David Wilson, HRC board member

Most of the names are not surprising; if you read our recent article in The Advocate, several of the more prominent names, such as Geto, Hochberg, Lattimore, Quinn, Rosen, etc. were mentioned or quoted.

In March, Sen. Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote address to the Human Rights Campaign's spring board of directors meeting. She promised a strategic "partnership" with gays and lesbians if elected to the White House.

Clinton Campaign Reveals Gay Supporters [Wash Blade]

Some Background ...

Edwards Shows Off His Gay Supporters [Towleroad] Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [Advocate] The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20] Hillary Big Brother "Ad" [R20] Obama Strategist Behind Hillary Big Brother Ad [R20] The Latest Talking Point [R20] Hillary Clinton's Republican Senate Opponent Uses the "L-Word" [R20]

News: Tyrese, Hillary, Dolce & Gabanna

· R&B singer-model-actor Tyrese will add "rapper" to his resume. The platinum album-selling star of Baby Boy and Annapolis tells AOL/BV columnist Jawn Murray that he is "done with movies for now" and will pursue hip-hop full-time. Why rap? "R&B singers are unemployed because rappers are singing their own hooks."

· Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton rips Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a new one during one of his rare trips to Capitol Hill. After being grilled over his "failed policy" in Iraq, Rummy claimed,that he has "never painted a rosy picture" about the war. Sen. Clinton said Rumsfeld has "lost credibility" and called for his resignation.

· The United States Tennis Association bypasses millions of dollars in annual corporate sponsorship to name the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows after Billie Jean King.

· The 2006 Gay Games drew more than 140,000 attendees to Chicago, beating estimates by 40%.

· Poll: The so-called "culture wars" over issues like gay marriage and gay adoption may be overblown.

· The fashionisti at Dolce & Gabanna now encourage us to buy shoes? jeans? with this promo reminiscent of that infamous faux Puma campaign, only "sans bodily fluids and it's gay-themed"