President Obama, who has long said his views on same-sex marriage were “evolving,” today affirmed his support for marriage equality. In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, the President said “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

Obama’s support comes after a week in which Vice President Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with marriage equality and in which North Carolina voters approved a ban on same-sex marriage in their state’s constitution.

The President’s evolution on the issue has taken several years, from “undecided” to “supports civil unions” to, now, full equality.

Mitt Romney refused to comment directly on the President’s statement, but Romney did say this to the Denver Fox affiliate before the President’s statement:

“Well when these issues were raised in my state of Massachusetts, I indicated my view, which is I do not favor marriage between people of the same gender, and I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name. My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate but that the others are not.”

In other words, Romney doesn’t just oppose marriage equality, he also opposed civil unions and just about anything beyond “hospital visitation rights.”

Other reactions:

From New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: “No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people – and I have no doubt that this will be no exception.”

HRC’s incoming president, Chad Griffin: “President Obama’s words today will be celebrated by generations to come. For the millions of young gay and lesbian Americans across this nation, President Obama’s words provide genuine hope that they will be the first generation to grow up with the freedom to fully pursue the American dream. Marriage-the promise of love, companionship, and family-is basic to the pursuit of that dream. Our Constitution’s promise, the promise of liberty, is one that every generation must realize. As President Obama recognized today, the fight to secure marriage equality is the defining element of our generation’s search for greater freedom.”

Anti-marriage zealot Gary Bauer:  ”President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage surprised no one. The charade is finally up. We’ve always known that Barack Obama supports same-sex marriage. With every action he’s taken, from court appointments to his rhetoric, he’s been preparing the way to undermine traditional marriage. Obama’s finally made that support explicit…It’s a political move meant to energize his leftwing base and distract Americans from his disastrous economic policies.”

More of the President’s words:

I’ve stood on the side of broader equality for the LGBT community. I hestitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient. I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, the word ‘marriage’ evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs.

I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

It’s interesting, some of this is also generational. You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation that they believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.

This is something that, you know, we’ve [the President and Mrs. Obama] talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do. And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, you know, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.

Madonna’s released a new single from her upcoming album. Listen to “Girl Gone Wild.”

More Madonna coverage on QClick Radar.

I’m going to chalk this one up to a funny story anecdote taken out of context. Celeb Dirty Laundry reports that Robert Pattinson’s dad, Richard Pattinson, “wants to accompany his son to a sex club.” Huh? Here’s the context:

Robert is starring in the newly released ‘Bel Ami’ and the actor recently visited Berlin and was impressed with the city’s notorious sex club, the KitKatClub. In fact Rob was so taken with the place that he told his father about it and suggested they visit it together. No mention of bringing Kristen Stewart along though… .

Rob said:  “I was telling my dad about it last night and he sounded really into it.  ‘I’m coming over – let’s go to the orgy club,’” said the senior Pattinson.

That’s a super strange story, in my book.

[Photo via Robsessed.]

The first five J.C. Penney commercials featuring Ellen DeGeneres, their new spokesperson, aired during the Oscars. Enjoy! They’re great ads, and it shows why America loves Ellen (and why the boycott is going to fail).

Plus here’s some outtakes Ellen showed on her show:

More Ellen DeGeneres & J.C. Penney coverage on QClick Radar.

Darren Criss and Kermit the Frog performed a duet of “Rainbow Connection” during E!’s Oscars per-show coverage, poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

More about Darren Criss on QClick Radar.

See comprehensive coverage of the 2012 Oscars on QClick Radar.

Neil Patrick Harris and spouse David Burtka watched the Oscars from Elton John’s Oscar party. Burtka spent the morning hosting E’s Oscars pre-show.

[Photos via Just Jared and @davidburtka.]

More about the 2012 Academy Awards on QClick Radar.

The Naked Sunday Project, by Mckenzie James ”is an on-going series I’ve been working on for the past few years.” James goal The goal is  ”to explore the simplicity and minimalism I love about photography.”

More at The Naked Sunday Project.

[Via Homotography.]

This is a 1999 documentary examining the history of the gay circuit party. Kenneth in the (212) has the rundown: “José Torrealba’s 1999 documentary about the history of gay circuit parties. What began as dance events at the Saint in New York and Probe in L.A. later developed into a year-round obsession in major cities across the country, where gay A-listers went to see and be seen.”

A couple weeks ago, we had James Wolk shirtless on Happy Endings. Now, he’s almost naked on Shameless. I’m recently hooked on Shameless, due to my husband’s insistance I watch it. In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit I watched all of the first season this weekend. I can’t wait for season 2 to become available on iTunes. Particular since I get to see James Wolk in boxers.

[Via Squarehippies.]

H&M has added long johns and boxers to their David Beckham Bodywear line, and we’ve got the pics.

See more about David Beckham on QClick Radar.

Maryland’s House and Senate have passed marriage equality legislation, which is waiting on the governor’s signature. The governor has said he will sign the bill this coming Thursday. Anti-gay groups are already gearing up for a referendum to repeal marriage equality.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who’s running in the Republican primary for Arizona’s fourth congressional district in the U.S. House, came out as gay amid allegations that he threatened to deport his ex-boyfriend, who was an undocumented resident. Babeu was also an Arizona co-chair for Mitt Romney, a position which he resigned after the allegations came to light.

The Obama Administration’s Department of Justice announced it won’t defend a law that denies benefits from the same-sex spouses of military service members.

Chris Christie, New Jersey’s republican governor, vetoed a bill that would have allowed same-sex mariage in New Jersey, saying he felt that marriage equality should be accomplished via referendum.

This Valentine’s Day video, called “I’ll Marry You,” is named after the song by Lorenzo “Jovanotti” Cherubini. Produced by Italy’s Arcigay Brescia and Agedo (Italy’s PFLAG), the video “tells the story of a couple of young guys who decide to marry, in the town, while another pair, formed by two girls, promises to do the same.”

Andrew Christian, purveyors of hot underwear, have posted another red hot video of sexy models having a pool party in Andrew Christian’s wares. This video is so hot, it was banned by YouTube for “sexual content” — which is a homophobic double standard, says the company.

If you want something even hotter, there’s an uncensored version of the video you can see at the end of this post. You can see more hot pix from the video below:

And now, the uncensored video:

White Collar star Matt Bomer came out (sort) of while accepting an award in Palm Springs on Saturday. He was the recipient of the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards’ New Generation Arts and Activism Award for his efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS. During his speech, Bomer, 34, said:

I’d really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry. Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that “Bomer’s partner, Hall, is a publicist with Slate PR. He represents Ryan Murphy, Neil Patrick Harris and such production companies as Working Title.”

Here’s video of his speech:

Bomer was previous not out (at least officially). The Hollywood Reporter said he ”has previously declined comment when asked about his love life. In its January 2010 issue, Details magazine asked the actor if he cared about the rumors questioning if he was gay. He responded: ‘I don’t care about that at all. I’m completely happy and fulfilled in my personal life.’”

In addition to his starring role on USA’s White Collar, Boomer is set to play the older brother of Darren Criss’s Blaine on Glee and to star in male-stripper film Magic Mike. He’s also set to play a gay character in the film adaption of The Normal Heart.

Read more about Matt Bomer on QClick Radar.

The San Francisco Police Department has made this wonderful It Gets Better video. It’s absolutely worth watching. It made me tear up a bit, and extremely proud to be a San Franciscan.

Here’s the statement that accompanies the video:

Mayor Lee & Chief Suhr Unveil First of its Kind LGBT Youth Video. 

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) along with Mayor Ed Lee is proud to announce the debut of the “SFPD It Gets Better” video project as part of the nationwide campaign to end bullying of LGBT youth. The video provides a message of transformation, hope and encouragement to LGBT yo…uth that it does get better. The SFPD is the first and only Police Department in the country to produce a video for the campaign.

“It Gets Better” is a nationwide project, that offers support and encouragement to youth who are struggling with their sexual identity or bullied for being “different.” These messages of hope let young people know that they are not alone and that help is available.

The making of this video was a concerted effort by numerous members of the SFPD with the assistance of San Francisco film maker Shawn Northcutt who produced and edited the video along with San Francisco local musician Lynden Bair who developed the musical score.

“Today our Police Department joins the nationwide campaign to end bullying of LGBT youth by producing a heartfelt video that provides a message of hope and encouragement that it will get better,” said Mayor Ed Lee. “San Francisco is a city that prides itself on embracing equality for all and this video is another great example of our commitment to reinforcing our City’s values.”

Chief Greg Suhr wants youth to know that it really does get better. “This is a first of its kind video for the SFPD and for any law enforcement agency in the United States. I hope this message of encouragement will give hope to anyone who might be bullied because of who they are. The members of the SFPD will continue to work with all young people and reach out to the communities, as mentors and role models.”

“Suicide is not the answer.”
If you’re considering suicide or need help, call the Trevor Project now.
1-886-4-U-TREVOR
(866-488-7386)

www.thetrevorproject.org

In the states, all eyes were on the Grammy Awards yesterday (along with the tragic death of Whitney Houston). In the UK, yesterday, it was time for the BAFTA Awards, which are the British version of the Oscars, only classier. The Artist was the big news of the night, winning Best Film, among other awards. What we care about here, though are Meryl Streep’s win for Leading Actress (see her speech above) and Christopher Plummer’s win as supporting actor for The Beginners, in which he plays a man who comes out at the end of his life.

Here is the full list of awards:

John Hurt – Winner Outstanding British Contribution Award in 2012 

BEST FILM
Winner: THE ARTIST – Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE – Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Winner: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA – Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME – Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Winner: TYRANNOSAUR – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)
ATTACK THE BLOCK – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
BLACK POND – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
CORIOLANUS – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
SUBMARINE – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)

DIRECTOR
Winner: THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Nicolas Winding Refn
HUGO – Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay

DOCUMENTARY
Winner: SENNA – Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Manish Pandey
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – Martin Scorsese, Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair
PROJECT NIM – James Marsh, Simon Chinn

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS – Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD – John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY – Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP – Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Winner: THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar
INCENDIES – Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
PINA – Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
POTICHE – François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
A SEPARATION – Asghar Farhadi

ANIMATED FILM
Winner: RANGO – Gore Verbinski
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Steven Spielberg
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Sarah Smith

LEADING ACTOR
Winner: JEAN DUJARDIN – The Artist
BRAD PITT – Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY – The Descendants
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – Shame

LEADING ACTRESS
Winner: MERYL STREEP – The Iron Lady
BÉRÉNICE BEJO – The Artist
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON – We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS – The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – Beginners
JIM BROADBENT – The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL – Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH – My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winer: OCTAVIA SPENCER – The Help
CAREY MULLIGAN – Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Help
JUDI DENCH – My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Winner: THE ARTIST – Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO – Howard Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE – John Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: THE ARTIST – Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO – Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE – Janusz Kaminski

EDITING
Winner: SENNA – Gregers Sall, Chris King
THE ARTIST – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Mat Newman
HUGO – Thelma Schoonmaker
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY – Dino Jonsäter

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: HUGO – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
THE ARTIST – Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
WAR HORSE – Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN
Winner: THE ARTIST – Mark Bridges
HUGO – Sandy Powell
JANE EYRE – Michael O’Connor
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jill Taylor
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Jacqueline Durran

SOUND
Winner: HUGO – Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
THE ARTIST – Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
WAR HORSE – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Jamie Beard, Joe Letteri, Keith F. Miller, Wayne Stables
HUGO – Alex Henning, Rob Legato, Ben Grossmann, Joss Williams
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
WAR HORSE – Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

MAKE UP & HAIR
Winner: THE IRON LADY – Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan
THE ARTIST – Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
HUGO – Morag Ross, Jan Archibald
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jenny Shircore

SHORT ANIMATION
Winner: A MORNING STROLL – Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
ABUELAS – Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
BOBBY YEAH – Robert Morgan

SHORT FILM
Winner: PITCH BLACK HEIST – John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn
CHALK – Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
MWANSA THE GREAT – Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
ONLY SOUND REMAINS – Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
TWO AND TWO – Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen

ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD
Winner: ADAM DEACON
CHRIS HEMSWORTH
TOM HIDDLESTON
CHRIS O’DOWD
EDDIE REDMAYNE