The AggreGAYtor: September 25

Queer judges step up to the bench, Russia sinks to new lows, and a whole lot of fugly slouches toward D.C., as your AggreGAYtor has a little Accident.

The Good

• Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day, so go queer the vote! Deadline: Monday, October 7.

• The U.S. Senate has appointed the first openly gay federal circuit judge.

• Dutch LGBTQ organizing has over a century of history.

• An Italian political party staged its own kiss-in on the floor of Italy’s parliament in support of discrimination protections.

• Queer auteur filmmaker Gregg Araki has a retrospective showcase at the NYC Museum of Arts and Design.

• Race for the Cure got a special lead contingent this year – one that isn’t frequently seen in pink.

• The Metropolitan Opera is in trouble with Queer Nation NY over Putin ties.

The Bad

• Russia appears to be purging gay schoolteachers, a move not even California Gov. Ronald Reagan could get behind more than 30 years ago.

The Fugly

• Marco Rubio has effectively blocked the nomination of a man who would have been the first openly gay black judge on the federal bench.

• Some House critters are working to protect homophobes from the totally-real liberal thought police.

• The Values Voters Summit is coming up, and it will sport a bevy of anti-gay speakers.

It Came From the Tubes