Nearly two years after announcing his candidacy, Senator Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the United States. And, unlike years past, Obama's victory was clear-cut: the Senator won 349 electoral votes. He needed 270 to clinch the office.

Taking the state a bit after midnight last night in Chicago, Obama opened his acceptance speech with some of the most inspiring words ever uttered in our nation's history:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
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Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

The politico went on to declare that "change has come to America," before concluding:

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids. To restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace. To reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many we are one.

Obama's rival, Senator John McCain, offered an exceptionally gracious and teary concession speech. Though his supporters in Arizona booed at the mention of Obama's name, McCain urged them to rally behind their new president:

These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight that I will do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans who supported me to join not only in congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and honest effort to find the necessary compromises to bridge our difference.

Watching the results last night, we were in a bit of shock when Obama was announced the winner - had we done it? Had our nation really elected a black president? Yes. Sitting here, this morning, a bit hung over and exhausted, we're getting a bit misty as the reality set in - hundreds of years of oppression and racism were stomped. Surely division will continue to plague this great nation, but never before have the American ideals been as clear, vibrant and promising.

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As Barack Obama jets around the nation shoring up support for his presidential campaign, lawmakers in his home base of Chicago are preparing to vote on the erection of a "gay" high school.

Though he's not voting on the proposal, a local Fox News channel began to wonder where the Senator stands on the matter.

And the politician's support, they say, has been anything but resounding…

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America has lost quite the citizen. Former Rep. Larry McKeon of Illinois died after suffering a stroke.

Despite his scant sixty-three years, McKeon, who was his state's first openly gay politician, had a resume that reads like an American dream:

An Army veteran and former lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, McKeon came to Chicago in the 1980s to pursue a degree in social service administration.

He worked as a director at United Charities and became involved with gay activist groups, leading to his run for political office. In 1992, he was hired as executive director of the Chicago Human Rights Commission's Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues.

McKeon was elected to the House in 1996 by voters in what was then the North Side’s 34th District. During that campaign, he acknowledged being HIV-positive.

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What started as a high school feud ended up as a hate crime charge for two Crystal Lake, Ill. teenagers. IOne of the unidentified 16-year old girls had recently fallen out with a male friend. As part of her childish revenge against him, she and her cohort printed up some pamphlets of the boy kissing another boy.

The young ladies also decided to include some decidedly, devilishly unladylike messages, such as "God Hates Fags". Those flyers landed the girls in juvenile court on Tuesday, where they face charges of hate crime, obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct.

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• Crazy comedy duo Joey and David drum up some laughs with this Gap-spoof. Also, QueerSighted's Kenneth Hill thinks that David's "hot". Pass it on.

• Hyatt Hotel ain't down with gay romance. A Houston branch of the hotel chain removed gay romance novelist Lauren Baumbach's very homo promotional materials. When she tried to reason with a customer service representative, he cut her off, "I’m not discussing this with you.” Must not be much of a reader.

• Boy George allegedly has a history of hiring whipping boys. From pop bitch: If George's New York neighbours are to be believed, [Auden] Carlsen is not the first escort he's picked up for this purpose. One tells us that George often brought young chaps back to his apartment for a session with whips and chains. The neighbour regularly resorted to banging on the walls and shouting, "Can you just finish him off quietly, for Christ's sake!"

• White House tells Press, "Only you can or cannot support Tony Snow."

• The World of Coca-Cola Museum will host an Andy Warhol exhibit. Because how else will the World of Coca-Cola Museum be taken seriously/get visitors/get press?

• Iron Man's movie suit revealed! (PS: Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man? Our nerd side says, "no", but our inner art fag says, "yes".)

• Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill to abolish the written consent law for HIV test. If passed, doctors will be able to test patient's blood without their approval and/or knowledge. While this may help curb infection rates, it also blurs the line between a person's rights and public health. Should doctors try to stem HIV, even if it means violating a person's right to privacy?

• Gays may receive inheritance rights in Israel, but no marriage. Does this mean that they will have special rights that unmarried hetero couples lack? We hope so, just because it would be funny. [365 Gay]

• HIV tests will be part of a standard check-up at the doctor as early as next year if the CDC has their way. We think this is great news, but suspect it will lead to a dramatic drop in doctor's visits. [SeattlePI]

• The gays are making a push to elect more gays on the state level. This will result in gayer state legislation, making every state nicer for gays. Nice strategy. [USA Today]

• Illinois voters will vote on an anti-gay-marriage amendment this November, so don't forget to go to the polls. [Chicago Tribune]

We certainly don't like to dirty our fingers by pointing them in blame, but it seems there is a bit of a scandal brewing in Illinois.

Louis Farrakhan, the irascible Minister of the Nation of Islam, told the audience at his annual "Savior's Day" in Chicago the root of all evil in the world comes down to the Hollywood Jews, for promoting "lesbianism, homosexuality," and other "filth" in society. "It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!"

Unfortunately, a member of the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes is Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan's Director of Protocol at the Nation of Islam. And she invited other members of the Illinois Commission to Farrakhan's speech. That must have been fun.

The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, says he had no idea of her involvement with NoI. In fact, he knows her as Claudette Marie Johnson.

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• Even death threats from crazies all over the world isn’t stopping Dolly Parton from adoring the Gays. [USA Today]

• Lee Tamahori only received a slap on the wrist over his drag/queen prostitution arrest. That might have just trned him on some more.He’s kinky enough to be a masochist. [Defamer]

• We didn’t think there was anyone left in the country that didn’t watch The Daily Show. Illinois’ governor better get himself cable. [ABC News]

• You’ll be closer to Madge than ever before when she starts touring smaller venues this summer. But is also means she’s going to charge us twice as much as she did during her Re-Invention tour. [MTV]

• A drag queen, who moonlights as a nightclub singer, is running for Parliament in Italy. Um, she’s got our vote. [Reuters]

• Finally someone who is not attempting to cash in on Hollywood’s recent lovefest with the Gays. Adam Sandler-Kevin James’ fake queer comedy is without a director. [The Advocate]

• Brits have awarded Tom Cruise with the title of "most irritating" star. No word on if they find him to be the gayest star as well. [The Guardian]

• Now playing in LA is the lesbian musical The Breakup Notebook. Melissa Etheridge isn’t the only dyke with a great set of pipes. [The Breakup Notebook Official Site]

• Ryan Seacrest may have replaced Kathy Griffin as queen of the red carpet, but at least we’ll get another season of her Bravo reality show. [Reality TV World]

• Illinois has become one of the few states in the nation to have laws on the books prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. That’s 15 states down and 35 more to go. [CBS 2 Chicago]

• Texas' first statewide GLBT magazine is no more. RIP TXT Magazine. [Dallas Voice]