The Web site that tracks casual homophobia in social media.

Dying Iraq War vet gunning for Bush/Cheney.

Topless Katie Holmes open to giving Suri a sib.

James Franco for Bullett Magazine.

Anti-gay douche Roland Martin out at CNN.

Are black male celebs really more anti-gay?

Adonis Mag returning.

Did marriage equality come to New Mexico in the 1800s?

150 events in 50 states for marriage equality.

What is gay culture in 2013?

After hinting he probably is, Dr. Arnold Klein says the kid is not his son.

Maury wouldn't even need a test for this one

"I now believe that people oughtta have the right to get married."

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who until now has been a total dud on gay issues and is as Republican as it gets, has come out in favor of marriage equality in an exclusive interview with CNN's Dana Bash. The reason? His son is gay, and he wants him to have the same rights and protections as everyone else's children:

"'It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective, and that's of a dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have—to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years.'"

I think it's great that he is doing this, and it does take courage—as a Republican—to come out firmly for marriage equality. But I wouldn't hail him as a hero or anything. An aspect of the right that bothers me the most is that its adherents often seem to be against things ideologically, but then have no shame in indulging in those same things personally. It is a sense of entitlement, and of imperial denial for everyone else. In this case, he is at least finally supporting marriage equality for all and not, say, being anti-abortion publicly but taking his daughter to have on privately. But still, should it really take a family member to make you understand what's right and what's wrong?

I guess for some people who lack empathy, it does.

But at least he now gets it. On this issue.

And this is another example of why people need to COME OUT already.

Videos after the jump...

Getting away with it

Timothy Kurek, an Evangelical Christian who'd spent his young life with anti-gay views, was shocked at the feelings he experienced when a friend came out as lesbian—he just wanted to convert her. Taken aback, he decided to pose as gay—and live as a gay man, short of sex—for a year. The experience has led to a book and lots of conversation on the topic.

Though I dislike CNN's headline "Christian's year of living 'gay' leads to dramatic change, sparks controversy" (it makes Christians and gay people opposites, and the quotes around gay—even to connote it was a ruse—are never welcome), the story is quite interesting.

P.S. What would your family and old friends and new friends say if you told them a huge part of everything you said and did within the past year was a lie, even if a lie to learn something?

John McCain hates Barack Obama, but I still bet he hates Mitt Romney more deep down. Today, he had a chance to vent some of that. Just when the horrendous Mourdock scandal couldn't get any worse for Mitt—Mourdock said productive rape (my new phrase) was "God's intent," Romney chastised him but didn't pull an ad he'd cut for the U.S. Senate candidate from Indiana—McCain went on CNN and withdrew his own endorsement of the guy.

Now, McCain has created the impression that Mitt Romney is to the right of him on abortion.

Swing states are already swinging Obama's way...this kind of shit less than two weeks out won't help swing them back.

The men of aussieBum are bursting with raw (almost) talent.

Lance Armstrong stripped of seven Tour de France titles, banned for life.

Don Bailey recreates his sexy carpet ad 35 years later.

Romney blimp crashes in blue territory. Symbolic?

Romnesia explained with Mitt Romney soundbytes.

Madeline Albright dismembers Romney/Ryan.

WWII vet casts his last vote.

Kelly Clarkson redeems herself.

Zero Dark Thirty = Oscar-bait.

CNN is officially a piece of shit:

The Supremes did the right thing—Afforable Health Care is upheld.

And in the "Dewey Defeats Truman" department (with thanks to Jay):

Sophia A. Nelson, the author of Black Woman REDEFINED, seems to be trying to whip the entire Roland Martin issue—the commentator was suspended by CNN after he made some homophobic tweets—into a race war. Or trying. And she's getting help from Martin's wife, Jacquie Hood Martin, whose ministry supports the concept of ex-gays:

Reframing this as a race issue is pretty low. I don't see how there is even a whiff of racism in Martin's boorish tweets getting him in hot water. If a gay man made racist comments along the same lines ("Man, if your kid starts talking all ghetto, beat the shit out of him" would be a parallel), I have no doubt that most people would find that highly offensive and he would be punished. And I doubt the LGBT community would think it had to do with the person's sexuality so much as their inflammatory words.

Prove it!

As of midnight last night, it was exactly six years since my first post. It's been a tough thing to keep up with a dayjob and outside activities, and just when I think I might walk away, a valuable connection or interesting opportunity or a kind word comes my way. Thank you all for reading me.

Of whom are you more jealous?

Here are my favorite 100+ posts out of nearly 11,000. Please take some time to read (or re-read!) a couple and tweet or Facebook any you like.

xoxo Matt

The pocket pool championships were intense this year

BOY CULTURE

Boy-crazy

FROM BOY TO MAN: BC B.C. (2007): The entire history of my novell and novel Boy Culture as well as the movie version; might be my ultimate post.

Jonathon Trent & Derek Magyar make an Allan Brocka sandwich

BOY ON FILM (2006): An account of the NYC launch party for Boy Culture as it played the TriBeCa Film Fest.

I was left "Reeling" by the experience

FRIENDS AND "FAMILY" (2006): The movie version of Boy Culture hits Chicago.

No one would've mistaken me for Taylor Lautner

RAPT PUPIL (2006): The final night of Outfest with Boy Culture; I was fat but on the other hand got to meet Bryan Singer.

 

MY ART

 

Construction worker (shot this week) vs. James Dean

GUYDAR (since at least January 17, 2008) & ENDS OF THE WORLD (since at least January 13, 2008): Attractive men of the world—I got your backs. Your fronts, too.

i-i-i (phone)

Not totally built

Unaltered iPhone image that still blows me away

"Your pictures suck" (2008): An art critic attacks me, but not without sustaining some hits in return.

Let's call it a draw

DRAWN TOGETHER (2008): How my desire to draw related to my secret desire. One of my absolute favorite posts.

The shirtless one

LOST ANGELES (2009): My favorite photographic travelogue of L.A.

Even then, New Yorkers feared 9/11 was the beginning of the end

ART IMITATES LIFE (2006): My 9/11 and my distaste for grief tourism.

ME

Death of the party—Jeff in high school, already halfway through his life

BURNING MAN (2007): Tribute to my late high school friend and first romance.

Signed, sealed (eventually) delivered

LOST BOY FOUND (2011): There is a book in here somewhere.

Be Italian

CIAO HOUNDS: OUR TRIP TO ITALY (2011): Finally got José to Europe.

Death becomes here

ILLINOIS DEATH TRIP (2007): Ruminations on death while revisiting a past home, and the past.

Life is short...and meaningful

PASSING BY (2008): Mourning the loss of a person I only met once.

Lots more...

I will make this witch disappear as if by magic!

Batshit-crazy Christine O'Donnell stormed off of Piers Morgan's CNN show last night because he insisted on being a journalist and asking her questions...even questions she didn't want to field. O'Donnell revealed the mindset of so many entitled public figures (not just Republicans) when she said:

"Don't you think as a host that if I say that's what I want to talk about, that's what we should address?"

To his credit, Morgan stated that he did not.

Via Kenneth: Speaking of reality breaks and Republicans, we also have Rick Perry steadfastly refusing to acknowledge any error in his crackpot comments about the Federal Reserve, which even Karl Rove has gone on record as saying went way too far.

The Republican playbook is avoid, ignore, deny, lie.

CNN's Roland Martin got supersmug in a Twit-fit vs. Six-Pack's Dave Rubin, ending things pissily—see above. (Here is his column, which I'm sure he feels is the final word on the matter.)