The President literally gets bear-hugged by a burly, furry, pizza shop owner in Florida. Adorable. (h/t JoeMyGod, click to see video as well)

Chris Kluwe is my new favorite straight guy (apologies to my rugby teammate Victor who just got bumped). He is becoming a one-man straight-ally pride parade in the NFL, and plans to write another letter to homophobic Md. Del. Emmett C. Burns. Love. Now here’s the news:

• How far will a politician go to use homophobia to his advantage to rally a frenzied and rabidly hateful base to the polls? At least this far, according to BuzzFeed (nearly NSFW, but you HAVE to see this political mailer that was planned but stopped at the last minute in New York)
• Speaking of pandering to bigots, according to DailyKos, a Tommy Thompson aide has been circulating a video of Tammy Baldwin speaking at a Pride rally (click to see) enclosed with the sarcastic comment “Clearly, there’s no one better positioned to talk ‘heartland values’ than Tammy”. Stay classy.
• Despite new anti-gay “propaganda” laws, St. Petersburg, Russia is going forward with its Queerfest film festival, and we hope it goes off without a problem.
• Speaking of events, the New York Times is hosting an awesome panel about LGBT issues and the election with four famous panelists. Only trouble is, of all of them, Frank Bruni is the only LGBT person of the lot.
• Few people under the age of 30 will likely remember the massive hub-bub (bub) made nation-wide when the flagship University of my homestate, the U of Michigan, first offered an undergrad course on “How To Be Gay.” [I know that 30 is the cut-off because as of last week, I am, and that story was the hotness when I was graduating high school and getting ready for college that very fall.] Well, in the Chronicle of Higher Education, that course’s inventor, David M. Halperin has written an intelligent essay on how things have changed in the gay community in the past 12 years, and the new meaning his course name is now taking on.

VIDEO | Anderson gets personal with super ally Kristin Chenoweth about coming out:

You go, Anderson. You go.

Also, as today is the 11th anniversary of the attacks on New York City, Arlington Va., and the crash of United 93 in Shanksville, Pa., take a moment during your day to appreciate your life, your loved ones, and what you hold dear, and remember the victims of the most gruesome terrorist attacks on the United States soil.