San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has been a tireless crusader for gay rights. It was he who, way back in 2000 2004, began issuing marriage licenses in San Francisco.

Though those marriages were later annulled by the state, California's Supreme Court this year ruled that gay folk should, in fact, have the right to marry, a decision that spurred the right to launch Proposition 8, which would reverse the Court's ruling. Again, Newsom's been campaigning against that measure and just this week shored up support against conservative "extremists."

Obviously the right doesn't like Newsom very much and have been using him as the poster child for gay-friendly politicians. This means, of course, that should Proposition 8 pass, Newsom's ubiquitous image may take some of the blame.

CONTINUED »

Gavin Newsom isn't taking any chances on Proposition 8!

The mayor of San Francisco this weekend released a video urging his fellow Californians to fight the ballot measure, which would revoke gay people's right to marry. Newsom also penned a piece on Huffington Post in which he writes:

Proposition 8 is a terrible attack on our lesbian and gay friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members. But the response of our community shows the best of California — hundreds of thousands of regular people across the state joining together almost spontaneously to say "NO" to using our laws to hurt our fellow Californians.

"Yes we can" has a whole new meaning in California today. We are showing that we can stand up to right-wing extremists and protect equal rights for every single Californian.

Let's show that we can every single day until the polls close on November 4th.

Damn straight!

Is Yahoo! working for the right-wing? Maybe not, but the internet company this weekend ran what appears as "news" piece decrying a San Francisco schools' decision to take a first-grade class to their teacher's same-sex wedding opens with quite the anti-gay bang…

CONTINUED »

Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco lawyer who began issuing gay marriage licenses way back in 2004, released a statement today celebrating the same-sex nuptials ruling Connecticut:

Today, the Connecticut Supreme Court took an historic step by joining California and Massachusetts in the fight to provide marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. The Court’s decision to overturn Connecticut’s ban on equal marriage rights indicates that all across the country, communities are reaching the conclusion that separate is not equal, and that we should not harm our friends, neighbors and coworkers by denying them equal treatment under the law.

Our task now is to protect marriage equality at the ballot box in California by voting No on Proposition 8.

Newsom's words couldn't be more important - we're sure California's right will use the Connecticut decision to scare up more supporters.

Some lucky New Yorkers got a treat Thursday night when David Paterson and Gavin Newsom came together to fight Proposition 8, which would overturn gay marriage in California.

CONTINUED »

Gay marriage in California could both help and hinder Gavin Newsom's gubernatorial hopes.

CONTINUED »

Controversial politico Gavin Newsom will reportedly wed actress Jennifer Siebel.

The divorced San Francisco mayor made many a gay friend in 2004, when he order the city-county clerk to issue gay marriage licenses. The California Supreme Court halted the revolutionary nuptials and used its judicial power to void about 4,000 licenses.

Total party poopers, huh?

• Greg Scarnici - the adorable homo who brought us the now legendary Beyonce send-up - wrote the opening credits for Oscar Award-winning filmmaker Curt Johnson's animal-friendly doco, Your Mommy Kills Animals. MC Fashionista and BQE make the fur fly. Well, not really.

• Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chief, Colin Powell spoke about Don't Ask, Don't Tell on this weekend's Meet The Press. Here's what old Mr. P had to say about the plan he helped devise: "I think it's certainly moving in [away from DADT]. I think the, the country has changed in its attitudes quite a bit. 'Don't ask, don't tell' was an appropriate response to the situation back in 1993. And the country certainly has changed…" While he didn't rescind his historic endorsement of the law, The Front Lines points out he's been mulling the homos: I will not second-guess the commanders who are serving now, just as I didn't want to be second-guessed 12 or 13 years ago. But I think the country is changing. We may eventually reach that point."

• The Economist + New York + Dick = New Fag Rag.

• Massachusetts' gay marriage vote to be delayed?

CONTINUED »

In non Ann Coulter-related news, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office responsed to conservative outcry over the city's one-off "Colt Studio Day" by saying they'll be more mindful of their celebratory declarations.

Of the porntastic proclamation, Bill O'Reilly said,

There is not another city in the country that has ever had a 'gay porn day. And you wonder why your city is looked upon as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah?

The mayor's office insists that Newsom makes over 2,000 similar announcements every year and that sometimes the specifics get lost in the shuffle. Though Newsom's spokesman Nathan Ballard didn't say they were wrong to honor Colt, he did say:

If there are any questions about proclamations, they will be reviewed. There's just going to be a stricter review process from now on. The mayor is concerned about it. And we've changed the policy to reflect that.

He failed to say how they were going to change the policy, but one hopes that Newsom will read before he signs.

State assemblyman and known homosexual Mark Leno also signed the official announcement, but certainly doesn't think the city should be apologizing to O'Reilly and his ilk:

The owners of the studio are taxpaying, law-abiding San Francisco employers who promote safe sex. With a war out of control and the planet's temperature rising, I would have hoped Bill O'Reilly had more pressing issues to discuss.

Oooo, bitchy!

For their part, Colt insists they're just "a classy company". We suppose it's all relative.

San Francisco's long been a homo-hub. No surprise, then, that gay porn-centric Colt Studio has used the hilly sea-side city as its HQ for forty years, churning out such hits as Waterbucks 2 and Buckaroos.

In honor of the company's geographical camaraderie, Mayor Gavin Newsom and two other city officials proclaimed last Friday "Colt Studio Day". Conservatives, meanwhile, took aim at the liberal lad. Reverend Louis P. Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition said:

San Francisco has proven yet again why they remain the mocked city of the country. No other major city in the nation has gone so far as to blatantly glorify a homosexual porn producer and company.

Hmm, we had no idea SF's the most mocked city in America. We thought that was Gary, Indiana.

Not one to miss a good finger-wagging, Bill O'Reilly mused:

There is not another city in the country that has ever had a 'gay porn day. And you wonder why your city is looked upon as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah?

Sounds like he's been trading notes with Sheldon because, again, we were unaware of this reputation. We must be reading different bathroom walls.