Republican Sam Brownback may be backing out of the presidential race. The Kansas senator, who calls gay marriage a "social experiment", says his campaign's relying on Iowa to decide his fate:

…Brownback said Wednesday he will drop out of the race for president if he finishes lower than fourth place in the Iowa caucuses.
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In response to a questioner who asked whether Brownback planned to end his bid if he places outside the top four contenders, Brownback said, "That is correct. I need to finish in that group to move on forward."

Recent polls show that only two percent of Iowans are voting for Brownback, so he'd might as well just quit now.

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson talked gay marriage in Iowa two days ago.

Watch the former Law and Order actor fidget as he again explains how his soft gay marriage ban would be a "judicial solution" to a "judicial problem". We always thought of it as a "constitutional problem".

Guess that's why we're not running for president, although maybe we should be…

Here's the video of Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa blasting outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace. Watch as Harkin defends gays and Pace again voices his opposition to same-sex relations.

Now that he's an official presidential candidate, Fred Thompson's been cruising around Iowa spreading his not-so-good word.

The former Tennessee senator appeared in Sioux City earlier today. While chatting with about 250 supporters, Thompson took a few seconds to address gay marriage.

I would support a constitutional amendment which says some off-the-wall court decision in one state that recognizes a marriage in a state like Massachusetts cannot go to another state and have it recognized in that state.
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The second part of my amendment would also state that judges, judges could not impose this on the federal or state level unless the state legislature signs off on it.

The issue ever-controversial issue definitely hits home in Iowa, where a judge found the gay nuptial ban unconstitutional. That ruling opened the door for four hours of gay marriages, which ended when the same judge stayed his own decision.

Iowa's gays have never had an ally in Chet Culver, so it should come as no surprise that the Democratic governor agreed with a judge's ruling to halt same-sex nuptials.

The state allowed gay marriages for about four hours last week, but happy gays were stopped in their tracks when the ruling judge stayed his previous decision. Now the judiciary will have to battle it out to see who comes out on top. For his part, Culver said he's still against gay marriage, but will let the courts do their judicial thing:

I respect the important role that the judicial branch plays in this issue and in many issues. I have said personally that I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I've been consistent on that. At the same time, I think it's important we let the judicial process work itself out here.

The courts could be "working itself out" for the next two years. Or more…

There's been a change of judicial fortune in Iowa. After ruling that gay nuptials are, in fact, legal, Judge Robert Hanson put his historic order on hold.

…Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.

County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.

About twenty couples managed to tie the knot before Hanson told the city to stop issuing marriage licenses.

Anti-gay politicos used the historic indecision to remind voters that the state needs an amendment against gay marriage. Republican Rep. Christopher Rants ranted, "I can't believe this is happening in Iowa. I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January." You do that, Chris…

Well that didn't take long. Less than 24-hours after an Iowan judge called the state's ban on gay nuptials unconstitutional, a college couple's taken the marriage plunge.

Tim McQuillan and Sean Fritz married at First Unitarian Church by Reverend Mark Stringer, who expressed his excitement thus, "Awesome. It's a long time coming… It's now official". The boys wanted a Jewish wedding, but the Rabbi had another engagement.

City law requires couples to wait three days between getting marriage license and the ceremony, but the boys found a judge to waive the technicality. They're now en route to the Polk County Administration Building, where they'll file the marriage license.

Mitt Romney's not celebrating. He derided the "activist" judge's decision to further gay rights. The GOP presidential hopeful said yesterday's ruling "highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."

But Mitt, you said you were for state's rights. Remember?

It's a happy day for Iowa's homos:

A Polk County judge on Thursday struck down Iowa’s law banning gay marriage.

The ruling by Judge Robert Hanson concluded that the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and he ordered Polk County Recorder Tim Brien to issue marriage licenses to several gay couples.

“It’s a moral victory for equal rights,” said Des Moines lawyer Dennis Johnson, who represented six gay couples who filed suit after they were denied marriage licenses.

Camilla Taylor, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a New York-based gay rights organization, said the ruling requires “full equality for all Iowans including gay and lesbian Iowans and their families.”

Polk County's reportedly planning on appealing the decision. Party poopers.

Live in Iowa? Gay? Like Democratic Presidential Candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson? Well, you're in luck, because the 59-year old politico will be appearing at Grand Rapid's Cedar Rapid's Pride Fest this weekend!

Richardson - the first Latino presidential candidate - has a history of supporting the homos: he pushed for a restricted domestic partnership bill in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the bill failed to garner enough votes for passage.

No doubt that political push - and this weekend's dragalicious photo ops - will provide his enemies will plenty of fuel for their fire. Hopefully it will also show gays that at least one of the Democrats cares enough about the purple people to march.

• Love him or hate him, you can't piss on Michael Lucas' new mission:

In the past few months I have run into about four acquaintances who have been brutally beaten recently in Chelsea, either during a mugging or for being gay. Interestingly, all of those attacks have occurred on the east side of 8th Avenue, around 22nd street, but I've also heard of other similar attacks in Chelsea and in Hell's Kitchen.

I am going to be writing a story about this in the New York Blade and interviewing people for it, including members of the New York Police Department, which has been almost completely unresponsive despite the fact that all four of the people I spoke to had filed reports.

If you or anyone you know has experienced such an attack in or around these areas in Manhattan please contact me directly at michael@lucasentertainment.com.

• Susan Stanton - the pre-op trannie formerly known as Largo, Florida, city manager, Steve Stanton - has lost her bid for Sarasota's city manager position.

• Andy Warhol's Interview for sale.

• Iowan Governor Chet Culver signed the state's anti-discrimination bill, thus ensuring that gays will be treated with the respect, dignity and nonchalance they deserve. Starting on July 1st, that is - until then, it's totally open season.

CONTINUED »

It's been a bitter battle, but Iowa's legislature has voted to write sexual orienation into the state's non-discrimination laws. The House voted 59-37 for the addition, while the Senate passed it 34 to 16, sending a strong message to Governor Chet Culver that the state believes in equality.

Democrat Kevin McCarthy agrees:

It is a historic vote. I also think it was a mainstream vote. This was not some sort of liberal social agenda. This is just saying that under housing and employment, people should not be discriminated based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation.

Conservatives are singing a different, older tune, saying that by amending their constitution, Iowa lawmakers are creating special privileges for the homos and, to a lesser degree, condoning so-called sinful salaciousness. Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley fumed: "We don't think sexually immoral behavior should be made into a protected class. That's not the purpose of the civil rights code."

CONTINUED »

The Equality Riders woke up to some naughty obscenities after a group of punk haters went wacko with some lipstick. The gay activists on wheels had just kicked off their second annual tour and stopped by Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa.

In case you're not up on all the activist gossip, the Soulforce Equality Ride tours the country and goes to universities to discuss "the damaging effects of homophobic doctrine, the false notion that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities are sick and sinful". That is, why butt fuckers and carpet muncher won't be rotting in hell. Dordt College students seem to think otherwise, for among the graffiti one can see some scrawling that appears to say, "God doesn't like gay feary [sic] fucks".

They also left images of penises and this image to the right. We think it's supposed to be a vagina, a hypothesis founded on nothing but the fact that it was right next to the aforementioned penis. If it is meant to be a vagina, it's not a very good rendition. Also, why did they put a vagina next to a penis? Shouldn't the vagina go with another vagina?

Oh well, best not to expect too much from such a brood. The haters, however, guaranteed a spot in our annal of queer graffiti: Yeah, Spray It!

Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances, huh?

Iowa State University's gay frat helped spearhead a mini-revolt against the school's blood drive. The school's Greeks typically encourage participation and even organize a Greek Week contest to see which fraternity or sorority can donate the vital fluid.

Delta Lambda Phi, however, raised their voices against the ban on gay blood, insisting the Greeks should not compete in the discriminatory drive. Men who sleep with men have been barred from donating blood since 1977 - because, you know, we're all diseased and shit.

Of the protest, Delta Lambda Phi's faculty director, Warren Blumenfeld, said:

We've been trying to raise this issue for a long time. The Greek Week council has done something remarkable that we in the community have been trying to do - to raise the issue to the highest level of public discourse. They should be applauded for that.

Not everyone's so pleased - a number of students say that by ending the traditional competition, Greek Week officials are depriving Iowa blood banks of approximately 500 bags of precious plasma.

Now, we're not sure where we stand on this matter. Certainly we're against the ban on gay blood: it's truly a ridiculous and anachronistic stipulation stemming from the early days of AIDS. On the other hand, we feel strongly about the necessity of donating blood - people's lives rely on it.

So, we ask you, reader: should Delta Lambda Phi be commended or criticized for their push to remove the bloody competition from Greek Week festivities?

Des Moines, Iowa 19-year olds, Jassimen Dobbins and Angela Wade may be charged with first-degree burglary and third-degree arson after attacking a 16-year old homo acquaintance.

It seems the ladies weren't down with his gay ways and decided to let him know:

According to a Des Moines police report, Dobbins and Wade beat the teenager over the head with a bottle and stabbed him with a fork in the 1900 block of Francis Avenue. They stole $5 in cash, an ATM card and a driver's license before setting fire to the victim's bag.

Damn! First the beat him upside the head with a bottle, then they stabbed him with a fork (a fork!) and, as a little icing, they burned his bag? That's some cold ass shit.

This attack comes just one week after openly gay Senator Matt McCoy celebrated a proposed bill that will help protect kids from bullying - a bill conservatives think will unfairly favor gays.

The girls may be charged with a hate crime, for they admitted to shouting anti-gay epithets during the altercation. Sweet, huh?

Now, for some more uplifting news: Iowa became the 30th state to pass a comprehensive anti-bully bill which asks schools to take a more proactive role in curbing school yard tyranny.

Lauding the bill, openly gay Senator Matt McCoy said:

We know that more than 45 to 50 percent of those kids that are perceived gay or are actually gay are being harassed verbally and physically… If you happen to be one in 10 — one in 10 that was born gay — your world is a completely different world and the things that you experience and the feelings that you go through on a daily basis are different than anyone else's.

Gay or not, a fist hurts like hell.

Not all the lawmakers were so supportive, Republican Senator Nancy Boettger thinks that a bill protecting kids from discrimination based on sexual orientation, race and gender gives some kids an upper hand, so to speak: "We are not protecting all kids equally because we are giving special protection to those." We've never really understood arguments like Boettger's. It's not as if there's suddenly going to be some pro-gay task force out there, ensuring these kids are protected while other kids get hacked to bits or anything. What kind of monster would let one kid get beat down while helping another? If someone like that does exist, we imagine they'd let the fag get hurt and help the hetero. But, we could be wrong…