In an interview with GQ, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain continues to show his disrespect for women and gays by distinguishing between a “manly man’s” pizza and “sissy pizza”:

Chris Heath: What can you tell about a man by the type of pizza that he likes?

Herman Cain: [repeats the question aloud, then pauses for a long moment] The more toppings a man has on his pizza, I believe the more manly he is.

Chris Heath: Why is that?

Herman Cain: Because the more manly man is not afraid of abundance. [laughs]

Devin Gordon: Is that purely a meat question?

Herman Cain: A manly man don’t want it piled high with vegetables! He would call that a sissy pizza.

In the same interview, he also compared Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) to the ice cream flavor “Tutti-frutti,” admitting, “I know I’m going to get in trouble.” Allegations of sexual assault aside, Cain regularly uses language that is misogynstic, whether he’s referring to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as “Princess Pelosi,” Katie Couric as “perky Katie,” or “joking” about whether Anita Hill will endorse him. And of course, he recently suggested that being gay “washes off.” Though Cain brushes all these comments off as jest, his jokes reinforce the inequality of women and the LGBT community.

Seeking to dominate the social conservative space in the GOP presidential field, Rick Santorum attacked Mitt Romney on marriage equality this morning on conservative radio host Laura Igraham’s show, saying Romney “issued gay marriage licenses” as governor of Massachusetts:

SANTORUM: [I'm] a solid conservative who fought for the federal marriage amendment as opposed to Mitt Romney, who issued gay marriage licenses and actually violated the Constitution of Massachusetts to institute gay marriages in his state. That to me is a pretty clear contrast. And I would make the argument that Mitt Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, was to the left of Barack Obama on the issues of gay marriage. So, you can decide for yourself whether that past performance is an indication of future performance.

Listen here:

As ThinkProgress LGBT editor Igor Volksky noted when Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) leveled a similar charge against Romney, the claim that the former governor issued same-sex marriage licenses “is a popular misconception.” Put forward by right-wing groups, the claim conflates the state’s One Day Marriage Designation with actual marriage licenses. But as Massachusetts’ state website explains, “[t]he One-Day Marriage Designation is not a marriage license,” but rather a certificate the governor can issue to “designate non-clergy individuals to solemnize a marriage.” Once same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, the Romney administration granted designation applications to both same and opposite sex couples.

Moreover, Romney did not violate the Massachusetts Constitution to institute marriage equality. The state only allowed same-sex marriages after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled the state constitution granted the right. Romney publicly opposed that ruling. He also tried to limit the impact of the ruling by ordering town clerks to enforce a little-known 1913 law to deny licenses to out-of-state couples.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops tackled the question of same-sex marriage at their 2011 fall general assembly this morning and unveiled a new website — MarriageUniqueForAReason.org — to complement the organization’s ongoing effort to “promote and defend marriage as the union between one man and one woman.” During an oral report on the progress of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone argued that denying gays and lesbians the right to marry “affirms the inviolable dignity of every human person” and accused the Obama administration for viewing “traditional marriage” as “discriminatory.”

Cordileone promised to pray for the anti-gay marriage initiatives moving forward in Minnesota and North Carolina:

CORDILEONE: In the midst of these various challenges, we continue to be mindful and pray for those efforts seeking to protect the definition of marriage. These include the constitutional amendments protecting marriage in Minnesota and North Carolina, the continued efforts to do the same in Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and efforts to repeal the redefinition of marriage and New Hampshire and Iowa. To all our brother bishops and efforts to protect marriage in these states, thank you for your courage and witness, please count on our continued support and prayers.

Watch it:

The new marriage website claims that “protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a matter of justice. Far from being discriminatory, the Church’s teaching on marriage upholds and enhances the dignity of men, women, and children.” “The Church, the Body of Christ, encourages all of us to seek forgiveness for human weakness and poor judgment in areas of human sexuality, which often results in human tragedy of the highest proportions,” it says.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are out of step with the mainstream Catholic population, which overwhelmingly supports marriage equality.

A New York Times editorial celebrated the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote in favor of repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act — which prohibits the federal government from recognizes same-sex marriage performed in the states — but warned that “nearly 60 percent of Americans live in places that do not protect gay couples in any way”:

Twenty-nine states have enacted constitutional amendments blocking same-sex marriage. In 18 of those states, the amendments also ban domestic partnerships or civil unions. Twelve states bar same-sex marriage by statute, and in two, Minnesota and North Carolina, anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendments will go before voters next year.

Look:

The paper called on the Supreme Court act on behalf of marriage equality: “The Supreme Court may soon have a chance to sweep away the injustice in several pending cases that challenge these laws. Just as it ruled unanimously in 1967 that laws barring interracial marriage violated due process and equal protection under the Constitution, it must affirm the civil rights of gay people.”