Towleroad

Anderson Cooper At The Altar In SNL Skit

Last night's season finale of Saturday Night Live was full of several funny gay-themed skits. There was one promoting New Xanax, which relieves the stress of attending spectacular gay summer weddings, and another in which Ben Affleck's "ex-gay" character tries to pray the gay away. He doesn't.

SNL also included a grand farewell for Bill Hader and his character Stefon, who is seen about to marry Anderson Cooper.

Watch two of the three (the Ben Affleck clip can be found here), AFTER THE JUMP.

Vigil Held For Gay Man Shot And Killed In Greenwich Village

Late last night, hundreds attended a candlelight vigil in Greenwich Village to remember Mark Carson, who was shot and killed in a hate crime just 12 hours earlier. The crowd shouted: "Say his name: "Mark Carson, Mark Carson, Mark Carson!"

A rally demanding an end to hate crimes against the LGBT community will take place in NYC tomorrow. It will begin at the LGBT Community Center (208 W 13th St) at 5:30PM and continue with a march to the murder scene on West 8th Street and 6th Avenue. Here participants will rally at 6:00 pm.

The NY Times describes the victim:

Mr. Carson, who was 32, had recently moved to Brooklyn from Harlem after scrimping and saving money from his job at a yogurt shop in Midtown, according to Kay Allen, a friend for more than a decade.

“He was a proud gay man,” Ms. Allen said. “A fabulous gay man.” She noted that he loved going to the Village. “His spirit was too big for this city,” she said. “He didn’t have a negative bone in his body.”

Carson's father was interviewed by The NY Post:

“I thought that kind of hate stuff was gone, but I see that it’s not,” the victim’s distraught father, Mark Carson Sr., told The Post. “It’s simply ridiculous. People are what people are. They do what they do. You can’t knock down who people are.”

CBS2 reports that the suspect was uncooperative after his arrest, shortly after the shooting:

Elliot Morales, 33, was charged with Second Degree Murder As A Hate Crime, as well as Criminal Possession Of A Weapon on Saturday. Morales had been in custody but refused to give his name. He was eventually identified by police using facial recognition technology.

Police are still searching for two people who were with Morales' just before and during the shooting. Also, police officials reiterated that the killing was indeed sparked by hate:

“This fully looks to be a hate crime; a bias crime,” Commissioner Kelly said. “There were no words that would aggravate the situation that were spoken by the victims. They did not know the confronter. There was no previous relationship.”

Carson's murder is the latest in a concernig spike of anti-gay crimes in the city:

Mr. Kelly said there had been a rise in bias-related crimes in New York City this year — 22 compared with 13 during the same period last year. In just the past three weeks, there have been five attacks directed at gay men, including a vicious assault on a gay couple outside Madison Square Garden on May 5.

Timothy Lunceford, 56, who has lived in the West Village for 35 years, said he believed the killing was a brazen display of a kind of intolerance he had not known in New York for decades. “It’s outrageous,” he said. “They say we’ve worked through homophobia, but it’s not gone away. It’s just not usually as out there in the open like it was this morning.”

Watch video of last night's vigil, AFTER THE JUMP.

Top image by Joe Jervis

Young Gay Boy Beaten In Hate Crime Attack

Earlier this month, a gay 13-year-old boy was attacked by four teens who shouted "faggot" and "queer" as they pummeled him on the ground and threatened his life. The assault left the Canadian child with injuries on the left side of his body - mainly on his ribs, the kidney area and his arm.

The Chatham Daily News reports on the incident and the anonymous young teen, who, for the sake of this article, goes by the name "David."

“They were calling me names like 'faggot' and 'queer' and they were telling me that I should go to hell,” said David. “I tried to ignore them and I tried to go to the other side of the street, but then one kid pushed me back.”

He lost his balance and when he hit the ground the youths began to kick him, continuing their verbal onslaught. David curled up and did his best to protect his head from the blows, trying to figure how to get away.

“I was in a ball and sort of in shock,” he said. “I was thinking 'Wow, this really hurts.' It felt really long, but it probably only lasted 15 seconds-ish.” Even when the kicking stopped, the threats didn't.

“The leader of the group, he turned around pulled out a pocket knife,” David said. “(He) flipped it up and said 'If you tell anyone, then you're going to die.' And then he ran away.”

It appears as if David is surrounded by very supportive parents. Said the boy's father to his son:

“Thank God you're different because I wouldn't want you to be like those idiots,” he said. “I'm glad you are who you are. At least you're brave enough to be a real person.”

The Chatham-Kent Police are reportedly actively investigating this assault as a hate crime.

Rev The Dog Attempts A Duet With Adele: Video

What can stir Rev the dog from this tranquil nap? None other than a song from Adele. Watch the black lab get nostalgic, all thanks to the singer's rendiiton of "Make You Feel My Love," AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Meningitis, Puerto Rico, Rob Ford, China, Russia

Epidemiologists puzzled over NYC's Meningitis outbreak: "What is concerning is that it is largely restricted to men who have sex with men. So we don’t really understand why that is.” Have you been vaccinated?

Thousands marched in support of gay rights in the capital of Puerto Rico of San Juan: "Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and Sen. Ramón Nieves Pérez, who sponsored the sweeping anti-LGBT non-discrimination bill the Senate on Thursday passed by a 15-11 vote margin, unfurled an LGBT Pride flag from the balcony of City Hall as marchers passed."

Britney Spears claims the leaked version of her upcoming single is just an early demo.

Colin Egglesfield knows how to wear a t-shirt.

North Korea launched three short-range guided missiles in a northeastern direction earlier today.

Snookie flips the paparazzi the bird.

The very first film to be adapted from a David Sedaris short story set to open Outfest.

Gawker wants to raise $200,000 so they can purchase and publish the videotape of anti-gay Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking crack. Also, don't expect to hear Ford air his weekly radio show this weekend.

Some promising yet frustrating news out of China on the International Day Against Homophobia: "Activists said they felt encouraged when the communist party's official mouthpiece China Central Television published a Weibo post on Friday morning advocating respect for the LGBT community. But the post was soon deleted without any explanation."

Could Smell-O-Vision be coming back - in a mobile form?

Reacting disapprovingly to today's momentous legalization of same-sex marriage in France, Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov said this morning that his country will now consider changing its child adoption policy with France.

Hateful Group Asks Parents To Keep Kids Home on Harvey Milk Day

This Wednesday is Harvey Milk Day in California; a day which is intended to celebrate this important gay rights activist. One conservative anti-gay organization, SaveCalifornia.com, is using radio ads airing in Sacramento and Los Angeles to urge parents to keep their kids home from school that day. Randy Thomasson, the president of the group explains his reasoning behind the illogical boycott:

According to the Sacramento Bee, the group's president, Randy Thomasson, says: "This is harmful to children...This is not academic, it's brainwashing." Thomasson also explained his feelings on the holiday to CBS13: “Children belong to the parents, not to the state, and to force a sexual agenda and a political agenda upon children, that’s highly inappropriate.”

What is highly inappropriate is the all of the information as well as a video posted on on the group's website which is full of hateful lies and anti-gay propaganda. The alarmist image above is from the group's website.

Watch a CBS13 news segment about the anti-gay campaign, AFTER THE JUMP.

Gay Man Killed In Greenwich Village Hate Crime

Tragic murder committed in the early hours of the day.

New York's CBS 2 reports:

A gunman used anti-gay slurs before he shot and killed a man in fashionable Greenwich Village early Saturday, police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Police were dispatched to the corner of 8th Street and Sixth Avenue just after midnight Saturday. They found the victim, an unidentified 32-year-old man, on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

Kelly said the gunman...first urinated on the street outside a bar, then walked into the bar, according to an Associated Press report. The man proceeded to make anti-gay remarks to the bartender and show that he had a silver pistol in his holster, the wire service reported.

Kelly then said the gunman came up to the victim and his companion outside, asked if they were “gay wrestlers,” and shot the victim in the face, the wire service reported.

According to the NY Post, a suspect was apprehended shortly after the shooting: "The gunman ran five blocks before cops collared him at West Third Street and MacDougal Street."

NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn released a statement condemming the attack:

"I am horrified to learn that last night, a gay man was murdered in my district after being chased out of a Greenwich Village restaurant and assailed by homophobic slurs....There was a time in New York City when two people of the same gender could not walk the street arm-in-arm without fear of violence and harassment. We refuse to go back to that time.”

Also speaking out this morning is State Senator Brad Hoylman:

"I am outraged by the recent wave of anti-LGBT violence in our city and it is shocking and extremely distressing that a man was shot to death just this morning apparently because he was gay. Nobody anywhere should have to live with fear of harm because of his or her sexual orientation.... I applaud the NYPD for making a swift arrest in this case and call on all New Yorkers to unite against hate and gun violence."

Neither the victim or the suspect have been identified. Updates as they come in.

Update: Victim has been ID'd as Marc Carson, according to a NYT police source. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly: “This clearly looks to be a hate crime.”

Daniel Radcliffe On His Gay Love Scene

Daniel Radcliffe portrays Allen Ginsburg in the upcoming gay-themed film Kill Your Darlings. Last night, the actor appeared on The Graham Norton Show and talked about the on set direction he received from director John Krokida while shooting a gay love scene.

"And the favorite note I have ever had was when we were kissing and the director shouted, ‘No, not like that. Crazy sex f***ing kissing!'"

Sounds we should expect quite the passionate scene in the movie. Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP. The bit about Kill Your Darlings comes in during the first minute or so of the clip.

Increase In Violence and Discrimination By Police In Mexico City

The LA Times tells the story of Jonathan Zamora, a 31-year old man from Mexico City, who was detained and beaten by police in that city simply for being gay. While Mexico City is seemingly gay-friendly (same-sex marriage is legal as are adoptions by gay couples), LGBT people have recently reported more and more discrimination from police.

The abuse Zamora experienced by the authorities:

He claimed four officers entered his cell and proceeded to punch and kick him. Zamora said he was then taken to a hospital, examined, returned to a police station and let go, ending an ordeal that lasted about eight hours.

"In my case, it wasn't just about a lack of training, it was a lack of everything," he said. "How can you hire people who are aggressive, violent, who don't behave like community?"

This week has seen the introduction of new regulations distributed to Mexico City police officers:

New police protocols published Thursday instruct officers to treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people “with respect for human rights” and to respect their “gender identity.” They also prohibit the use of insulting language or degrading comments.

"First, the police have to recognize that we're people," said Jaime Lopez Vela, a longtime gay rights activist who helped draft the new rules. "We've been talking about this for years. It's been on the agenda, and sadly, it's been expedited by the recent aggressions."

Meanwhile the police officers who violently beat Zamora have yet to face any disciplinary action.

Actors, Live Audience Scatter as Man Fires Gun at Cannes: VIDEO

Crowds at a live TV taping featuring actor Christopher Waltz scattered after a man fired a handgun, the Guardian reports:

"The bodyguards jumped over the barriers into the crowd and pulled him [the suspect] to the ground. The police arrived and told everyone to run because there was a grenade in his hand," one eyewitness told Reuters.

French authorities, who arrested the man at the scene, confirmed he was carrying a dummy grenade and a knife. A police source said: "It really appears to be a crazy guy."

Live footage showed actors and film crew scrambling from the seaside stage. The programme was taken off air temporarily, but continued minutes later after the programme's producer said: "The show must go on."

Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Best Song About the Periodic Table of Elements You'll Ever Hear: VIDEO

Think of this as ASAP Science's version of 'Schoolhouse Rock'.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

French President Signs Marriage Equality Bill Into Law

As expected, French President Francois Hollande signed a bill into law today making France the 14th country with marriage equality.

It was only yesterday that France's Constitutional Council approved the bill.

The very first same-sex marriages in that country could come as soon as the last week of May.

Just before he signed the bill, Hollande expressed his support for marriage equality in France saying: “I will ensure that the law applies across the whole territory, in full, and I will not accept any disruption of these marriages.”

According to the BBC, the country's right wing opposition party said they "would come up with alternative proposals in 2017 that were 'more respectful of the rights of children.'"

Also yesterday, anti-marriage equality demonstrators took to the streets in protest and demanded Hollande step down from his post. According to AFP:

Late on Friday, between 200 and 300 protesters gathered in central Paris to denounce the ruling backing the bill and calling on Hollande to resign. One police officer was injured after a flammable liquid was thrown in his face.

Earlier, a group of bare-chested men wearing white masks staged their own protest against gay marriage on one of the bridges over the Seine. They call themselves the "Hommen" -- a riposte to the bare-breasted feminist protesters known as the "Femmen".

Check out the new and improved look of the latest marriage equality world map, AFTER THE JUMP.

(map courtesy of the BBC)

Towleroad Talking Points: Wingnut Friday

PHOTO OF THE DAY: The state of LGBT rights throughout Europe.

BY SAM GREISMAN

A look back at today's top stories

WINGNUTTERY

Lots and lots of crazies making news on this Friday. It's graduation season and it seems that it will not be a happy time for a male transgender student in New Mexico whose Catholic school is forcing him to wear a girl's gown on the big day. The saga of the Washington florist who denied a gay couple flowers for their wedding continues to drag on as the florist is now suing the state for "religious discrimination". A judge in Texas is using something called a "morality clause" to try and separate a lesbian couple.

There was horrific violence at a gay pride parade in Tblisi, Georgia where revellers were attacked by thousands of anti-gay demonstrators. There will be one more wingnut at Fox News as homophobic former Congressman Allen West has joined the cable news network. A veteran UFC fighter has been suspended for calling a fellow fighter a "faggot" on Twitter and if you thought the mayor of your town was bad; at least he isn't smoking crack.

ENTERTAINMENT

Singer George Michael was apparently involved in a car accident in the UK yesterday and had to be airlifted to a hospital. Luckily his injuries are reported to be "superficial". Last night was the big American Idol season finale and eventual champion Candice Glover and Jennifer Hudson performed a stirring duet. Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Angie Miller were also on hand to perform a version of "Titanium" and "Domino".

At the Eurovision Song Contest, a pro-gay marriage themed song that originated in Finland continues to roll through the competition. And RuPaul and Lady Bunny give us a whole bunch of stuff we might want to "lick".

GAY NEWS

There was a shake-up today at GLAAD where the organization's President announced that he will be stepping down. Also according to a recent survey, a majority of the LGBT community in Europe is living in fear.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Get up-close and personal with a grizzly bear.

Le1f is Having a 'Spa Day': VIDEO

We've previously featured NYC-based rapper Le1f's clips "Wut" and "Soda".

He's back with a steamy new clip and he's ready for a "Spa Day".

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Thousands of People Attack Gay Pride Marchers in Tblisi, Georgia: More VIDEO

This morning I posted some horrific clips of thousands of people attacking Gay Pride marchers in Tblisi, Georgia who had been protected by police before being shipped from the area in buses that were surrounded and assaulted with fists and objects.

At least 17 people have been injured in the violence, Radio Free Europe reports.

One of the antigay activists, Zaza Davitaia, explained why he was against the rally taking place.

"I give my support to those who are gathered here. We are against a rally that contradicts our Georgian morals and traditions," Davitaia said. "[Gay-rights campaigners] receive financial support from some organizations abroad and they wanted to hold a demonstration against Georgian morals."

There were many Orthodox priests among the antigay demonstrators. One of them, Reverend Ioanne, said he wanted to stop LGBT activists from furthering their agenda.

"It's unacceptable in any way, especially today," he said. "It's a plan by some forces, who test our patience, to force us to make a mistake so they can act according to their program."

Twelve were hospitalized, according to Amnesty, including three police officers and a journalist.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...