I'm definitely not one of those gays who is over pride celebrations. Maybe it's because it's Memorial Day, and I'm feeling a bit sentimental, especially since we're in the thick of a war that doesn't seem like it will end any time soon, but I'm in the mood to stand up for something.

Which is why I was a bit moved when I read that Sao Paulo, Brazil's gay pride celebration yesterday drew three million people. (Actually, estimates range from one to five million, but police estimates put it at three million.)

Three million people! That's apparently more than came out to see the Pope when he visited Brazil last year.

Sure, most of those people are there to party. And that's what some pride naysayers argue against: Where's the political aspect?

Well, even if they're all out to party, when three million people get together in support of gay rights, in my opinion, that's a political statement.

Ah, Ellen! We love you so much. My pal JD forwarded me her blog post about Ellen taking McCain to task on his stance on same-sex marriage (which would be "no"), just a few days after her own decision to marry her partner, Portia de Rossi, after California's landmark decision.

This segment begins with Ellen bringing up the "elephant in the room." After McCain tells her he believes in contractual agreements, but not "marriage," she goes on to liken the separate-but-equal treatment to the civil rights era struggle and apartheid, to thunderous applause. People in the past have criticized Ellen for not being political on her show. Well, this is about as political as you can get.

This is something I'm really happy to see from Ellen, given her national sway, especially on the heels of yesterday's Oregon appeals court decision that upheld a 2004 voter initiative that banned same-sex marriage in that state.

Full video after the jump...

Somehow in all the Idol craziness I didn't hear about this till today: Portland, Oregon just elected an openly gay mayor, Sam Adams (no, they didn't elect a beer). What's more, he won by a large margin, garnering 58 percent of the vote. Previously, he was a Portland City Commissioner.

Adams is the first openly gay man to run a major U.S. city.

Again, however, looks like we're still playing catch-up as far as gay visibility in politics is concerned in this country: both Paris and Berlin are headed by openly gay men, both of whom won re-elections recently by landslide margins. There's even talk that Paris' mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, might run for president of France. We gays sure know how to run a city.

A pal sent along this article from the U.K. on Urban Outfitters' president, Richard Hayne, who in the past has apparently donated cash to such Republican campaigns as that of anti-gay former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum.

Interestingly, in 2004 -- a big election year wherein youth were urged to vote -- Urban Outfitters sold a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan "Voting Is For Old People." Guess those old people thought Santorum sucked, too, because he lost out on being re-elected in November 2006 to Democrat Bob Casey, Jr.

A little online digging reveals that student group Dances With Kittens staged a protest outside a Santa Cruz, California store in 2005.

This is the text on the flier the group handed out to bypassers:

Boycott Urban Outfitters!!!

The president of Urban Outfitters gives money to the Republican Party and right-wing senator Rick Santorum. Santorum is one of the most conservative members of the entire US Senate. He has made harsh remarks towards homosexuals. So, by buying from Urban Outfitters you are giving $ to support homophobic causes.

Another reason not to support Urban Outfitters is because of the shirt they sold for a while that said, "Voting is for Old People"! The goal of the shirt is obviously to suppress the youth vote and disenfranchise young people.

All we ask is that you examine the facts and choose to not buy any products from any Urban Outfitters unitl they stop giving money to discrimination and spreading the wrong message. There are plenty of other great places to shop.

Join us in boycotting Urban Outfitters!

For more info check out:
www.corporateswine.net

And yet, here are some of the shirts the $700 million empire has sold over the years, obviously cashing in on its gay (or at least gay-friendly or ironic) clientele:

I am SO not an American Idol fan. I've probably seen a grand total of four episodes—ever. So maybe that gives me a good perspective when I randomly tuned in recently to find a strange boy-creature with squinty eyes in the finals with a stoned, balding otter who sometimes plays guitar. (By that, I mean David Archuleta and David Cook.) What a strange finale!

We already know who's gonna win. Even David Cook admits it. When Archuleta becomes the next American Idol (because you know he will), I kinda want to see him become famous to see how far the cutesy boy act will take him. After that eventually winds up, he'll either turn into some kind of sexed-out Justin Timberlake wanna-be or a Michael Jackson-esque recluse. I bet the latter. Cuz you know his favorite quote is: "You'll never be lonely if you learn to befriend yourself." Mmm-hmm.

The more important question is: Why do I find David Cook kinda sexy? It's been bugging me since last week's return to each contestant's hometown. He's mildly talented, seems kinda dumb, and totally milquetoast. But there's something really simple about the way he talks—he seems kinda humble and grounded. And that's kinda hot. Plus, you know the quiet ones are always knockouts in bed. Maybe he knows it.