Gay News Watch

In reversal, Va. governor includes gays in bias ban

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:21:00

In a strongly worded edict, Gov. Bob McDonnell today instructed state agencies not to discriminate against gay and lesbian workers during the hiring process or in the workplace. His directive comes in the wake of a recent firestorm ignited after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote to Virginia college and university...

Same-sex wedding bells toll across Washington, D.C.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:05:00

*VIDEO after jump*: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty congratulated three gay couples who became among the first to officially marry in the District of Columbia, in wedding ceremonies at the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign. "The six of you here today represent what this country is about," Fenty said. "A...

Washington Post defends front-page gay kiss photo

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:35:00

The Washington Post stands by its decision to publish a front-page photo of a gay couple kissing that generated a high volume of complaints from readers. The newspaper published the photo online and in print last week. It captures Jeremy Ames and Taka Ariga kissing outside D.C. Superior Court on...

Political victories create unlikely gay tourist hotspots

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:09:00

Houston's election late last year of its first openly gay mayor - Annise Parker - coincided serendipitously with a renewed effort to attract gay and lesbian visitors to the fourth-largest city in the nation. In the eyes of the city's tourism office, Parker's election was not only an important political...

Judge annuls Buenos Aires' first same-sex marriage

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:43:00

A judge has annulled the marriage between two men in Buenos Aires last week, which marked the second time a gay couple in Argentina had legally tied the knot. capital, EFE reported. Judge Felix Igarzabal ordered the annulment after agreeing that the marriage between Damian Bernath, 39, and Jorge Salazar...

Massa won't answer when Larry King asks if he's gay

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:18:00

After he told Glenn Beck hours earlier that he had "tickled [a congressional staffer] until he couldn't breathe," former Rep. Eric Massa claimed to Larry King tonight that "it's not true" that he groped staffers ("When four guys jump on you to wrestle you... anything can be called anything, Larry")....

Va. gov. hints he won't go after gay-friendly colleges

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:22:00

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has suggested the state will not move against public colleges and universities that do not rescind anti-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The governor issued his statement after Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, a Republican, called such measures illegal in a...

Eric Massa admits tickling, not harassing male staffer

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:06:00

Eric Massa, the New York Democrat who resigned from the House in the wake of a House ethics inquiry into charges that he behaved inappropriately with male staffers, told Fox News' Glenn Beck Tuesday that he did grope a staffer. "Yeah, I did," he said when asked if he had...

Gay, bisexual men at higher risk for herpes infection

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:21:00

As many as one in six Americans is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), health officials said Tuesday. "Young women, African Americans, and gay and bisexual men are especially hard hit," said Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Centers for Disease Control. "It is unacceptable that STDs remain such...

Fla. challenges lesbian adoption case in Hollywood

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 20:16:00

State child-welfare administrators have appealed the adoption of an infant foster child by a gay Hollywood woman -- the second challenge to Florida's gay-adoption law currently under review. Joe Follick, a spokesman for the Department of Children & Families, said his agency appealed the decision last month by Miami-Dade Circuit...

Meet the world's four newest gay rights battlegrounds

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 19:53:00

The struggle for gay rights in the United States has been going on now for decades. In other parts of the world, however, the fight is in much earlier stages. Here are four countries where nascent gay- and transgender-rights movements are just picking up steam -- and meeting some ugly...

Justices to rule on anti-gay protests at soldier funerals

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 19:42:00

A small Kansas church that has gained nationwide attention for protesting loudly at funerals of U.S. service members will receive a Supreme Court hearing over free speech rights. The justices Monday accepted an appeal from the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq over efforts to keep members of...

Teen dating violence bill amended to exclude gays

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:45:00

A bill designed to protect South Carolina teens from dating violence has been amended to exclude gay and bisexual teens in same-sex relationships. The Teen Dating Violence Bill (H3543) was briefly discussed several weeks ago before the Senate Education Committee and ultimately sent back to a subcommittee after further attempts...

'Ex-gay' group to oversee 'Day of Truth' in schools

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:31:00

A nationwide school event launched by religious conservatives to counter the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network's annual Day of Silence will be promoted and overseen for the first time next month by Exodus International, an "ex-gay" organization with extensive ties to so-called conversion or reparative therapy. Created in 2004...

'Desperate Housewives' lesbian storyline spoiler alert

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:10:00

News that ABC is looking to transfer Desperate Housewives' Dana Delany to a new procedural next season would seem to suggest that her late-in-life-lesbian alter ego, Katherine, is headed straight off Wisteria Lane. But that may not necessarily be the case. First off, Delany's deal to join the cast of...

Registrar who refuses U.K. partnerships loses lawsuit

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:05:00

A Christian registrar who was disciplined because she would not officiate civil partnerships has been refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Lillian Ladele resigned from Islington council in 2007 after being threatened with the sack. She claims she was a victim of discrimination because of her religious beliefs....

GOP lawmakers under fire for gay marriage in D.C.

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:55:00

*WARNING* anti-gay source: As gay couples applied for marriage licenses in the nation's capital Wednesday, congressional Republicans came under fire, including from their own ranks, for not doing more to block implementation of the District's same-sex marriage law. "Weak and uncoordinated" were the adjectives Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican, used...

Washington weddings begin for same-sex couples

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:49:00

It's a day of wedding bells for some gay couples in Washington. Tuesday is the first day same-sex couples can pick up marriage licenses and tie the knot in the city. Some couples planned quick ceremonies at a church or gay rights group's office while others said they'll wait and...

One-third of Swedish women have bisexual fantasies

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:45:00

A country known for its beautiful people also has one of highest rates of bisexual behaviour, a survey shows. More than a third of young Swedish women (39 per cent) and eight per cent of young Swedish men said they had sexual fantasises about both genders, said experts at Malmo...

Will N.Y. anti-gay strategy work with Queens voters?

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:41:00

The Monserrate juggernaut is rolling across the 13th District. Liz Benjamin reproduces a flyer that his people are allegedly handing around. If you don't have your glasses handy, the best part is, "At a gay fundraiser for Jose Peralta" -- Monserrate's chief opponent -- "he is affectionately called 'Peralta the...

'Homosexuality is a disease,' says Turkish minister

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 19:36:00

Turkish State Minister Aliye Kavaf continues to make controversial comments on morals and values that raise reactions. Following her criticisms on the love scenes in Turkish soap operas, she shared her opinions on homosexuality and gay marriage. The state minister said she believes homosexuality is a biological disorder that requires...

Calif. GOP rep says he's gay after DUI sparks rumors

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 18:15:00

Republican Sen. Roy Ashburn, who has been on leave from the California state Senate since his DUI arrest last week, confirmed today that he is gay. "I'm gay," Ashburn told KERN radio host Inga Barks in an interview this morning. "Those are the words that have been so difficult for...

Sean Hayes comes out to Advocate: I am who I am

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:35:00

Step back, Jack: The man who played TV's iconic and over-the-top sidekick steps out of the shadow of his famous character to speak for the first time about living openly, his contribution to the gay movement, and his much-anticipated Broadway debut. Over lunch, Hayes laments that he has to look...

Facebook censors trans man's post-op shirtless pic

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 15:17:00

Facebook has once again censored a post-op photo of Dominic Scaia's bare chest — the same photo that got him banned from Facebook in December, for which he later received an apology. Earlier this month, Facebook said it re-evaluated its policy concerning graphic imagery after Scaia's top surgery photos were...

Massa blames harassment on Dem health care vote

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:58:00

Congressman Eric Massa of New York took to the airwaves Sunday to explain charges that he sexually harassed a male staffer, which prompted his resignation from the House effective Monday afternoon. The first-term Democrat announced Wednesday that he would not seek re-election because of health considerations, but afterward, news of...

Why has a divided U.S. taken gay rights so seriously?

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:43:00

New Hampshire state Rep. Nancy Elliott, at a recent state Judiciary Committee meeting on a proposal to repeal the state's same-sex marriage bill, described the issue of gay marriage as follows: "taking the penis of one man and putting it in the rectum of another man and wriggling it around...

Proposed U.K. law could ban escort advertisements

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:39:00

Legislative change in the U.K. headed by Harriet Harman could see an out-right ban on escort adverts in magazines. The proposal comes as changes to the Policing and Crime Act would increase police powers to crack down on brothels and people wo use their homes to sell sex. Equalities Minister...

Man on trial for biting boyfriend's cheek after a threesome

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:15:00

A Sheffield man is standing trial for biting his partner's cheek after inviting a third man to join them for a threesome. Frazer Bradley, 32, allegedly bit the face of is long-term partner, Wayne Jordan, before punching him and threatening him with the shards of a broken vase shortly after...

Microsoft's Bing searches filter out gay sites for Arabs

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:26:00

Microsoft's Bing search engine blocks out "sexually explicit" results and gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender queries in Arab countries, claimed the Open Net Initiative late last week. The Arab version of Bing turned its nose up at "homosexuality", "gay" and "lesbian" keywords. "Bing does not offer users of the 'Arabian...

Thousands pack sand for Winter Party in South Beach

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 07:36:00

Lizzz Kritzer and her girlfriend, Danielle Lise Desrochers, are not typical snowbirds. Sure, they migrate from the South Hamptons to Miami Beach once a year to warm up. But for the past two years they have came with a mission: to party in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and...

300 students expelled as 'lesbians' returned to class

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 05:21:00

The Commission for Gender Equality has slammed the suspension of 300 girls at a KwaZulu-Natal high school by staff who claimed that the girls are lesbians. This follows a decision late last month by the governing body and management of Mthwalume High School, on the province's South Coast, to remove...

Sandra Bullock includes gays in Oscar win speech

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:41:00

The Oscars have been called the Gay Super Bowl, but the night's only major gay highlight was an acceptance speech by best actress winner Sandra Bullock, who took home the prize for playing a wealthy white woman who takes in a black teen. "There's no race, no religion, no class...

Activists push for spousal benefits for gay service members

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:18:00

A leading gay rights group says married gay service members should have the same rights as straight couples once President Obama ends the military's ban on open homosexuality in the ranks. Equal treatment of legally married gays has emerged as an issue in the debate in Congress, as some Republicans...

Brazilian actor to sue for pics on 'GayTube' XXX site

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 23:45:00

The family of Caio Castro, 22, says the Brazilian actor is the victom of an Internet scam that resulted in photos of him appearing on the gay porn site Gay Tube, A Tarde reported. Castro is famous in Brazil for his role on the afternoon...

Perez says Prop 8 repeal effort dead until 2010 vote

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:19:00

In his first press call with LGBT media outlets since being sworn in as the state's first openly gay Assembly speaker, John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles) said that there is "no practical way" to repeal the state's anti-same-sex marriage ban this year. The comments are likely a fatal blow to...

Study finds HIV, gone in blood, hides in bone marrow

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 21:30:00

Medications can reduce the level of the AIDS virus in the blood to zero, but HIV doesn't disappear and often roars back when patients stop taking their pills. Now, research is giving scientists new insight into how the virus manages to hide and avoid the killing powers of medicine. In...

Adam Lambert's racy show at Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 20:23:00

*VIDEO after jump*: Adam Lambert had a gay ol' time at Sydney's legendary Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party, Australian media have reported. San Diego's famous glam rocker performed with glitter in his hair and in a scandalous leather costume with a giant codpiece, surrounded by sexy dancers in a...

GOP pol wants recall of car that drove him to gay club

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:37:00

Anti-gay California State Sen. Roy Ashburn today demanded a sweeping recall of the vehicle that drove him to a gay nightclub this week. Ashburn, a Republican who has consistently voted for anti-gay legislation, said that the car drove him to the club "against my will." "If we are recalling cars...

College wrestler who backs gay rights wins ACC title

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:18:00

Hudson Taylor, a University of Maryland wrestler who gained notoriety off the mat for his ardent support of equal rights for gay and lesbian people, won the 197-pound class at the Atlantic Coast Conference championships on Saturday. The win means Taylor, who wore a Human Rights Campaign sticker on his...

Rove claims in memoir not to know if stepdad was gay

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:09:00

Karl Robe deals with questions about his stepfather's sexual orientation in this new memoir, "Courage and Consequence," blasting journalists for raising the issue at all. In the book, Rove claims the stories were purely a liberal gambit to criticize him for his views on homosexuality and launches a well-honed rebuttal...

Gay groups call on Va. gov, A.G. to amend rights law

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:29:00

Virginia's governor needs to change the law that he and the attorney general say keeps the state from banning discrimination against gays and lesbians, a gay-rights group says. Equality Virginia yesterday called on Gov. Bob McDonnell to introduce legislation amending the state Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on...

Lib Dems backing full gay marriage equality for U.K.

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:22:00

The Liberal Democrats are to become the first mainstream British political party to back gay marriage as part of a radical package of policy pledges for the general election. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, will today unveil his party's "pre-manifesto" for the next election, but the annual conference which...

Ruling on gay Air Force major creates DADT dilemma

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:10:00

A pressing legal reality for the "don't ask, don't tell" standard for gays serving in the military is that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already struck down the way it's practiced in much of the Western United States. The 2008 ruling, while largely overlooked, would force the...

Petraeus says he's worked with gay CIA, soldiers

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 11:44:00

General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, told CNN that he has worked with Central Intelligence Agency officers "who were known to be gay and one who's known to be lesbian." "After the 10 seconds of awareness wore off, the focus was on the professional attributes," he...

Roseanne retreats from targeting Marie's dead son

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 07:17:00

Roseanne (Barr) continuing, or perhaps ending, her blog posts. Recently, she posted a series of missives about the Mormon Church in regards to Marie Osmond's son, Michael Blosil (a/k/a Michael Bryan) who took his own life a week ago. Roseanne says she knows of many Mormons who have killed themselves...

Dueling 'ex-gay,' pro-gay conferences come to S.D.

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 06:13:00

An ongoing, traveling fight for the hearts, minds and souls of gays passed through San Diego yesterday, with an international, faith-based group sponsoring a one-day meeting in East County to declare that homosexuality is essentially a choice and a "repentable" sin at the same time a national counter-group of gay...

Barbara Walters' regret: asking if Ricky Martin is gay

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 22:13:00

Twenty-nine years, 93 interviews, one regret. That's Barbara Walters' personal scorecard when it comes to ranking her internationally famous Oscar-night interviews that come to a close Sunday evening in a program featuring Mo'Nique and Sandra Bullock. "In 2000, I pushed Ricky Martin very hard to admit if he was gay...

Canadian pol defends excising gay rights from guide

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:50:00

In response to accusations from opposition parties that he censored passages on gay rights in a citizenship study guide released last fall, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he was proud of the guide and takes "full responsibility" for its contents. Earlier this week, the Canadian Press reported that an early...

Disgraced gay GOP rep Foley opens collectibles store

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:43:00

*WARNING: anti-gay source*: Four years after he resigned from Congress amid a scandal that wrecked his political career, former Florida Rep. Mark Foley is reinventing himself, hawking second-hand items and valuables he once possessed in his Washington, D.C., home in a consignment shop he has opened in West Palm Beach....

Gaydar to debut new Southern Voice, David gay pubs

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:42:00

As Gaydar moved this week to close its purchase of the Southern Voice and David magazine assets, it also worked to settle a nearly $40,000 lawsuit it faced from an Atlanta printer. On Wednesday, Gaydar agreed to settle the complaint from Page Enterprises for $34,000, paid over three equal installments...

Critics condemn Va. atty gen'l for fighting bias bans

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 12:10:00

The revelation Friday that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) is pressing state colleges and universities to remove discrimination policies that provide protections for sexual orientation sparked an outcry from Democrats and interests groups. "This is big government at its worst from a candidate who ran on small government," said...

Which Oscar nominees back gay marriage equality?

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 11:42:00

It's that time of the year again: The Oscars. Even if we don't see a speech as inspirational as Dustin Lance Black's call for full LGBT equality was last year, many nominees do support marriage equality for gay couples. Colin Firth, nominated for Lead Actor for his role as a...

MTV sued for hiding 'Jersey Shore' homophobic rant

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 10:58:00

The couple who fought with Ronnie and Sammi on an episode of "Jersey Shore" claims the footage was edited to "cover up" the homophobic rant they say started the fight ... and they have the raw, unedited footage to prove it. Joshua Thomas and Kristin Perrenod filed a lawsuit today...

300 gay couples set to wed in Mexico City ceremony

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 10:49:00

The director of the Civil Registry in Mexico City said Thursday that the first civil marriages of same-sex couples can take place March 12, after the required 10-day waiting period, La Jornada is reporting. Hegel Cortés said the actual date of each ceremony depends on...

Gays trail in Crate & Barrel contest after blog attacks

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 09:20:00

Gregory Jones and Jonathan Howard, both 29, are competing against several other couples for Crate and Barrel and Daily Candy's collaborative ''Ultimate Wedding'' giveaway. The D.C. couple made it to the No. 1 slot on Feb. 24, thanks to the votes from the public. "I was in the middle of...

Male staffer details Dem rep sex harassment claim

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 08:51:00

A male staffer has accused Rep. Eric J.J. Massa, D-Corning, of making unwanted sexual advances, two sources with knowledge of the situa tion said Thursday, and the staffer's allegations initiated an ethics inquiry of the first-term lawmaker. A day after Massa cited a cancer recurrence as the reason he decided...

Busted GOP rep takes leave amid fresh gay rumors

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 08:06:00

Republican state Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield has taken leave from his elected position until at least Monday, after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving here started a firestorm over his sexual orientation. Ashburn, 55, has served in the Legislature since 1996 and consistently has voted against bills that...

Parents rally to back lesbian moms in Catholic preschool flap

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 07:12:00

Some parents are considering pulling their children out of a Catholic preschool after the school told a family a student could not return because the parents are homosexual. "This could be one of those moments where the community is holding a mirror up to the church for it to take...

Trans photographer hits back at 'vicious' bride's insults

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 03:22:00

A transgender photographer has condemned a "vicious" bride who humiliated her for the way she dressed. Kate Summers was hired by Melanie and Anthony Vaughan to take their official photographs on their wedding day. But more than six months later Mrs Vaughan went to a national newspaper to complain about...

Catholic bishops attack 'unhealthy' condom programs

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 01:56:00

A lawmaker supporting the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines seems headed for a collision with the Roman Catholic Church on the issue of condoms. Rep. Janet Garin of Iloilo on Friday accused leaders of the Catholic Church for making a blatant attempt to mislead the public. Garin, a medical...

Court orders gay groups to turn over Prop 8 memos

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:33:00

A federal magistrate is ordering several gay rights groups that campaigned against California's 2008 same-sex marriage ban to furnish some internal memos and e-mails to lawyers for the measure's sponsors. U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero issued the order Friday as part of the first federal trial to examine if the U.S....

3 teachers suspended for using RuPaul as role model

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 23:38:00

*VIDEO after jump*: In a letter addressed to parents and community members, a South Los Angeles elementary school principal apologized Thursday for "questionable decisions" about which prominent African Americans to highlight in a parade marking the culmination of Black History Month. Lorraine Abner's letter did not name the individuals. But...

Roseanne blames Osmond's son's death on Mormons

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 22:39:00

In a post on her blog, the always provocative stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr insinuated that the recent suicide of Marie Osmond's son, Michael Blosil, had less to do with his innate depression than with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' archaic stance on homosexuality. Roseanne writes: "[B]ecause...

Follow the pied-piper of Washington's gay nightlife

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 17:34:00

On a recent Thursday night in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, two D.J.'s— Shea Van Horn and Tommy Cornelis — were filling the basement lounge of Napoleon, a bistro, with French electro and house music. The occasion was a monthly party called Maison, and the room was packed: gay...

'Gay,' 'transgender' now included in X-Box Live games

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 17:04:00

After a lengthy debate, Microsoft's updated the Xbox Live Code of Conduct to allow 'gay', 'lesbian' and 'transgender' expressions on 360 profiles. Xbox 360 players can now use the following words to 'express their relationship orientation' in profiles and Gamertags; 'Lesbian', 'Gay', 'Bi', 'Transgender' and 'Straight'. "I'd like to announce...

Vatican pair removed in gay prostitution ring scandal

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 16:18:00

A senior aide to the Pope and a Vatican chorister have been removed from their posts over allegations of involvement in a homosexual prostitution ring. The Vatican confirmed it had suspended Angelo Balducci, an usher known as a Gentleman to His Holiness, whose duties included greeting important visitors. Police had...

Catholic pre-school rejects child with lesbian moms

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:16:00

*VIDEO after jump*: A preschool student at a Catholic school in Boulder will not be allowed to return next school year because of what is going on at home. The student's parents are two women and the Denver Archdiocese says their homosexual relationship violates the school's beliefs and policy. According...

Media, mayor gave drunk, anti-gay Calif. pol free pass

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 14:16:00

Prior to California state senator Roy Ashburn's DUI arrest after allegedly leaving a gay bar, and with a male companion in his state-owned vehicle, other politicians and the media had been hearing rumors and questions about whether he might be closeted, or had even spotted him at gay clubs--but they...

Va. A.G. presses colleges to drop gay bias protection

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:22:00

The Virginia attorney general is not denying the charge by an openly gay Maryland state rep that he is pressing the state's public colleges and universities to drop nondiscrimination policies based on sexual orientation. A spokesman for Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican attorney general, said it has been the longstanding opinion...

Gay Christians, Muslims struggle more coming out

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:09:00

New research conducted by a gay British dating agency reveals that men of Islamic and Christian faith are most likely to struggle with their sexuality. Despite wider acceptance and understanding of homosexuality in the UK over the past 50 years, 'coming out' still remains as one of the biggest hurdles...

Al Jazeera on angry response to Mexico City gay marriage

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:31:00

A new law, considered by some to be a landmark decision, which has given Mexico City's gay community the right to marry, has angered the country's ruling political party. Since the leftist government of Mexico City voted in the law in December, it has proved divisive, with the nation's ruling...

Ex-exec calls on Catholic agency to drop gay marriage change

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:47:00

The former chief operating officer of Catholic Charities has called on the organization to reverse its recent decision to change health benefits for employees' spouses, a move designed to avoid legitimizing same-sex marriage. Tim Sawina, who was until last year one of the group's highest-ranking executives, called the elimination of...

Bus driver suspended after 'panties' joke, ejecting gay rider

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:46:00

The discrimination ombudsman (DO) has asked Stockholm local transport authority, SL, to adequately compensate a gay man after a bus driver ordered him to leave the bus. The man boarded the bus at Danderyd hospital on his way home to nearby Täby when the bus driver is alleged to have...

A second gay couple happily marries in Argentina

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:19:00

Damian Bernath and Jorge Salazar werer "married on Wednesday in Buenos Aires at a civil registry office and decided to do it completely privately," reported Maria Rachid, head of the Argentine Federation of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered (FALGBT). Still, the wedding was not easy and came after a long...

Couples from all over Mexico may marry in capital

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:13:00

Throngs of Mexico City gay and lesbian couples registered for marriage licenses Thursday, the day Latin America's first gay-marriage law took effect. For now the law applies only to residents of Mexico City, though a marriage performed in one Mexican state must be recognized in the rest of the country....

VH1 premieres makeovers from transgender ladies

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:01:00

Transgender is the new black. In a "Queer Eye" meets "What Not to Wear" mix, VH1 is launching a new makeover reality show for those committing fashion faux pas. On "Transform Me," three transgender women travel across the country responding to fashion emergencies. The makeovers include style advice as well...

Chief D.C. judge gives marital advice to gay couples

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 08:34:00

D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Lee Satterfield, who oversees the court's Marriage Bureau, offered advice for same-sex couples coming to the courthouse for the first time to apply for a marriage license or a court officiated civil wedding. In an interview with DC Agenda on the day before the city's...

Three top R.I. governor hopefuls back gay marriage

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 07:28:00

The three major candidates for Rhode Island governor have each publicly committed to signing a bill legalizing same-sex marriage for the state if elected. General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Attorney General Patrick Lynch, both Democrats, and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is running in November as an independent, made the...

Filipino government warns about condom breakage

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 03:08:00

Filipino Health Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral remains undaunted despite calls from church leaders to drop the Department of Health (DoH) campaign on the use of condoms to avoid HIV/AIDS. She has agreed, however, on their suggestion to place government warnings on the packages of condoms that will inform people on...

Busted Calif. Republican refused to say if he is gay

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 03:02:00

Last summer an editor heard that a Sacramento publication with a gay audience might "out" state Sen. Roy Ashburn as being gay. So I called Ashburn and asked him flat-out: "Are you gay?" His response: "Why would that be anyone's business? Including The Californian's? I think there are certain subjects...

Ohio State football coach ready for openly gay player

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:49:00

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel doesn't grant many exclusive interviews. That's why it was surprising to see the interview Tressel recently gave to Outlook Columbus, a local gay newspaper. Outlook's March 2010 issue, entitled "Queers & Sports," features interviews with Tressel and Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith, among...

Discontent growing with U.S. gay movement leaders

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 21:27:00

Picking up on the national discontent with elected leaders, grassroots LGBT activists are just as restless and dissatisfied with the community's current leadership and are organizing to reshape the agenda. Pride At Work, an LGBT labor organization, and One Struggle, One Fight, a queer grassroots group, recently held community forums...

Kerry calls on FDA to end ban on gay blood donors

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 19:58:00

Sen. John Kerry called on the government Thursday to abolish a "discriminatory" law that bars homosexual men in the U.S. from donating blood, saying "not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban." In a letter sent to the Food and Drug Administration, Kerry, D-Mass., along with a host...

Air Force secretary backs Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 19:31:00

The top Air Force civilian is unequivocally backing a repeal of the ban on gays in the military, while his top military counterpart is far more circumspect. The question, whether to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," continues to arise as the Pentagon's top military and civilian leaders testify on Capitol...

South African official slams lesbian photos as 'porn'

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 18:47:00

The opening of an exhibition by young, black women artists at Constitution Hill turned sour when Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana stormed out of the exhibition, calling the work "immoral". Xingwana, whose department gave US$40,000 to the Innovative Women exhibition, which was launched in Johannesburg to coincide with Women's...

'Law & Order: SVU' cuts Kathy Griffin's lesbian kiss

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 16:38:00

*VIDEO after jump*: Kathy Griffin made her highly anticipated first appearance Wednesday night on NBC's Law & Order Special Victims Unit, but the scene in which she kisses Mariska Hargitay was axed. In the scene below, Griffin, who plays a lesbian activist, is rebuffed by character Olivia Benson, played by...

Nearly half of U.S. lives where there's gay couple recognition

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:23:00

Nearly half of all Americans live where there is at least some form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples, an analysis of current law shows. Some 140 million Americans – about 46% of the nation's population – live where there is some form of official notice of same-sex couples. About...

Pentagon positions DADT review now, repeal later

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:35:00

As a House Armed Services subcommittee questioned the three witnesses yesterday responsible for conducting a yearlong review on repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," one thing became clear: The Pentagon favors completing the review before Congress acts legislatively. "I would think that members of Congress would like to be informed...

Lesbians in South Africa are being rape to be 'cured'

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:03:00

A new report indicates a shocking rise in homophobic attacks and murders in South Africa, especially in Johannesburg and Cape Town, where lesbians are being raped as a "corrective" punishment for being gay. According to the group ActionAid: "Rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime targeted against gay...

Gay marriage in D.C. influences Mid-Atlantic region

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 13:03:00

Gay rights advocates hailed yesterday as a milestone for equal rights and a symbolic victory as same-sex marriage became legal in the nation's capital. Washington is now the sixth place in the nation where same-sex marriages can take place. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also issue marriage licenses...

Gay marriage comes today to Mexico City

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 12:24:00

A law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry comes into effect today in Mexico City. The law, which was passed by the city's local assembly in December, gives gay people full marital rights, including the right to adopt. Several gay couples are now expected to register to get married...

Drinking while gay may well get you busted in Texas

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 11:44:00

Late on a balmy Saturday night last June, six Fort Worth cops and two officers from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission went looking for trouble. They had just raided two Hispanic bars in an industrial stretch of town and nine detainees now sat in the paddy wagon (pdf), hands bound...

Dutch gays, Catholic church end communion dispute

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:37:00

Dutch gay rights groups have called for an end to protests against a Catholic church southwest of Amsterdam after it said it would no longer seek to bar homosexuals from taking communion. The Sint-Jan church in Den Bosch says it will leave it up to believers to decide whether they...

Calif. Dem, famous for 'fruitcake' quip, passed over

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:20:00

Congressman Pete Stark (D-Calif.) is passing the gavel of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee after just 24 hours after facing a rebellion among Democrats over his sometimes bizarre behavior and penchant for offensive comments, including calling a GOP lawmaker a "little fruitcake" during an angry tantrum. Rep. Sander...

Bruce and Demi's daughter gets '90210' lesbian kiss

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:52:00

For anyone missing those frisky Beverly Hills teens, 90210 will return with a hot new relationship. Romance will bloom for Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) and Gia (Rumer Willis, eldest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis) as the two support each other in AA meetings, bond over old movies and share...

Long-time anti-gay pastor quits AFA group he founded

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 07:38:00

The American Family Association has announced yesterday that the organization's founder and longtime leader, Donald Wildmon, has resigned after more than 30 years as chairman of what has long been one of the leading anti-gay organizations in the country. According to a press release, Wildmon has resigned due to ongoing...

3 held for videotaped BB shot to face of targeted gay man

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:57:00

Three cousins from Hayward have been charged in San Francisco with a hate crime and assault for allegedly firing a BB rifle at the face of a man they believed was gay, an attack the men videotaped, authorities said Wednesday. Mohammad Habibzada, Shafiq Hashemi and Sayed Bassam, all 24, are...

Conservative Calif. pol faces DUI bust leaving gay bar

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 05:29:00

*VIDEO after jump*: A Republican state senator from Southern California with a vocal history of opposing gay rights was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after...

Papal aide, Vatican men's choir in gay prostitution ring

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 04:18:00

"Put on some music, swallow a Viagra, and adelante!" That's the headline in Europe today following reports that a papal aide used an intermediary in an elite Vatican choir to solicit young male choristers and seminarians for prostitution. Police wiretaps are expected to result in charges against Angelo Balducci, 63, a Papal Gentleman,...

2 lesbians miss vote as Aussie gay marriage bill dies

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 02:57:00

Openly gay Sens. Penny Wong and Louise Pratt were two of 26 to miss yesterday's vote to defeat same-sex marriage in Australia. With only the Greens in favour, the Marriage Equality Bill was defeated 45-5, a blow to gay activists around the country. The high absentee rate was telling, considering...

Businesses cashing in on gay marriages new to D.C.

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 20:05:00

Throngs of same-sex couples streamed into the District of Columbia's marriage bureau on Wednesday, eager to be among the first to claim marriage licenses under D.C.'s new same-sex marriage law. They were besieged by dozens of reporters, a small clump of vocal opponents and a handful of D.C. businesses offering...

Chief justice left door open to D.C. marriage initiative

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:43:00

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., refused on Tuesday to block a District of Columbia court's order that cleared the way for same-sex couples to get marriage licenses and wed in the capital city, beginning on Wednesday. Even while saying a delay was not now legally justified, Roberts noted that...

GOP complains DADT review already assumes repeal

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:35:00

The Pentagon's upcoming study on gays in the military is biased, some GOP lawmakers already contend, because it assumes Congress will repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell." Republicans are likely to use that argument as they try to erode the credibility of the planned review, which...

More than 100 D.C. couples cue for marriage licenses

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:27:00

Couples waited in line for hours Wednesday to apply for marriage licenses on the first day same-sex unions became legal in the nation's capital. Cheering erupted from the crowd when the first couple signed in at the city's marriage bureau inside the Moultrie courthouse, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol....

N.Y. Assembly passes GENDA trans rights measure

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:23:00

The bill to protect transgender people under the State Human Rights Law was approved by the Assembly today by a vote of 91-40, with bi-partisan support. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) is now in the State Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee. If it passes the Senate, Governor David...

N.Y. rep to quit over male sexual harassment claim

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:15:00

*VIDEO after jump*: Congressman Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) will not seek re-election after only one term in office. According to several House aides – on both sides of the aisle – the House ethics committee has been informed of allegations that Massa, who is married with two children, sexually harassed a...

Catholic archbishop defends axing marriage benefits

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 09:21:00

Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said Tuesday that the decision by Catholic Charities to change its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex spouses of its workers is justifiable under Catholic teaching as long as the employees are paid a just wage. "The Catholic Church teaches to pay a just...

Conservatives favor teaching U.K. kids about gays

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 08:44:00

British Conservative Party leader David Cameron has said that children need to be taught about same-sex relationships. Speaking at a gathering of gay and lesbian Conservative Party members, Cameron said, "We do need good sex and relationship education [in schools]. "That education should teach people about equality, that we treat...

Gay Yorkshire couple executed by masked intruder

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 08:09:00

A gay couple were attacked in their Yorkshire, England, home by a masked man armed with a sawn-off shotgun, a court heard. Ernest Wright (pictured) shot dead Neville Corby, 42, and left his partner Craig Freear fighting for his life, a jury heard. Freear, 31, managed to jump to safety...

Day One dawns for gay marriage in U.S. capital

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 07:17:00

D.C. Superior Court officials are expecting scores of same-sex couples to pack the courthouse Wednesday morning, vying to be among the first in the city to apply for marriage licenses and certificates. The D.C. Council in December passed a measure legalizing same-sex marriage in the District and the law goes...

Lieberman set to introduce Senate DADT repeal bill

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 07:14:00

Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut on Wednesday will introduce the Senate's first "don't ask, don't tell" repeal bill along with eleven Democratic cosponsors including Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, but no Republicans. "To me, it's very important that we repeal this law,...

Radcliffe answers rumors that he and his face are gay

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 07:03:00

"Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe has again addressed rumours that he is gay. The 20-year-old star is becoming known as a gay rights activist for his support of the Trevor Project, a helpline for suicidal LGBT people. He gave the charity a large donation last year and has volunteered to...

For D.C. gay couples, political reality meets real life

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 06:26:00

It took eight years to travel from a poetry night at the Black Cat to the point when Tina Hodges and Rebecca Phares began dressing up their home-office walls with stickers of little cartoon caterpillars wearing red and black berets. Now, there are two big steps to come. They plan...

Mexico City becomes next gay marriage battleground

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 06:16:00

The Mexican wedding may never be the same. On Thursday, this sprawling megalopolis will catapult to the front lines of gay rights in Latin America when a city law legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption goes into effect. The prospect of gay marriage has sent tremors through the Catholic Church, drawn...

Ellen gets say on Simon's American Idol replacement

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 05:37:00

Move over Simon Cowell, because there is another power player on "American Idol." In an interview with TV Guide Magazine scheduled to hit newsstands on March 4, new "American Idol" judge Ellen DeGeneres talks about her role on the show and the part she'll play in picking Cowell's successor. "Oh...

U.K. lords lift ban on civil partnerships in churches

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 04:26:00

The House of Lords voted to lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in churches and other religious premises last night. Peers voted by 95 to 21 - a majority of 74 - to lift the ban which previously prevented gays and lesbians from getting "married" in such places. In...

Defense sec'y outlines gays in military review plan

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 01:54:00

A Pentagon study on how to implement a plan to allow gays to serve openly in the military, "can only be successful if it is managed in a way that minimizes disruption to a force engaged in combat operations," according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates made the comments in...

Cage-fighter's wife nixes gay mag nude photo shoot

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:29:00

Former reality star and British tabloid favorite Katie Price shot down new hubby Alex Reid's plans for a nude photo shoot for the gay magazine Attitude. Reid, a cage-fighter, had signed a deal with the gay mag for pictures and an interview. But Katie got so jealous and possessive about...

Vegas taxi cops under fire for calling gays 'diseased'

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:10:00

The Nevada Taxicab Authority, the state agency charged with monitoring cabs on the roadways, promulgates a policy that lists gay people among high risks for transmitting disease to agency employees and the public, along with drug users and prostitutes. According to CBS 13 in Las Vegas, which reported on the...

D.C. judge throws out suit against out-of-state gay marriages

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 22:30:00

As Washington waited today to see if Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. would intervene in the local gay marriage debate, it turns out that a different federal judge was busy tossing out another suit over same-sex unions in the District. The case, filed pro se in Dec. 2009 by Joyce...

France de-lists transsexualism as a mental disorder

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 21:25:00

France has become the first country in the world to remove transsexualism from its official list of mental disorders — a major victory when it comes to acceptance of this oft misunderstood condition. "I'm relieved. People might begin to look at us differently," says transsexual blogger Caphi (a blended name...

Conservative pol yanks gay rights from Canada guide

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:56:00

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned. Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of...

Gay workplace rights bill needed to land Northrop HQ

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 19:07:00

Virginia's lack of protection for gay and lesbian state workers sends an unwelcoming signal to individual citizens and potential corporate ones, according to advocates who want such policy written into the law. As evidence, gay-rights group Equality Virginia on Monday produced a Feb. 25 letter from a Maryland senator asking...

Chief justice rejects last ditch stay of DC gay marriage

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:40:00

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block the District of Columbia's gay marriage law, freeing the city to issue its first marriage licenses to same-sex couples the following day. Opponents of gay marriage in the nation's capital had asked Chief Justice John Roberts to stop the city from issuing...

Brady Bunch Marcia-Jan lesbian rumors sink reunion

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:17:00

It's still Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. The longstanding feud between Maureen McCormick, who played oldest sister Marcia on "The Brady Bunch," and Eve Plumb, who played middle sister Jan, is to blame for the cancellation of a Brady Bunch reunion appearance, RadarOnline.com reports. The Brady kids were set to appear on...

House sponsor confident of DADT repeal this year

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:45:00

The sponsor of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal legislation in the U.S. House is confident Congress will overturn the law this year — even as other lawmakers have indicated repeal may not happen until later. In an interview with DC Agenda Tuesday, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) said he believed lawmakers...

D.C. marriage bureau ready for crush of gay couples

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:38:00

D.C. Superior Court officials are preparing for what they expect to be a flood of same-sex couples descending on the courthouse Wednesday to apply for marriage licenses. Wednesday is the first day that same-sex couples in the District can apply for licenses in the marriage office, in Room 4485. "We're...

Uganda won't drop anti-gay bill, says top legislator

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:14:00

Parliament Speaker Edward Ssekandi has told critics of the anti-homosexuality bill that it won't be withdrawn. Proposed in October, 2009, the measure would broaden the criminalization of homosexuality and introduce the death penalty for those who have previous convictions, are HIV positive or engage in homosexual sex with people younger...

Tea party activist says Rosa Parks wasn't pro-sodomy

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:20:00

For the first time in Minnesota history, a legislative committee contemplated the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state on Monday. And while gay and lesbian families shared moving testimony about the hardships their families face because they cannot marry, a duo of congressional candidates stole the show with controversial...

Spitzer's madam runs for guv on gay marriage ticket

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:04:00

Kristin Davis, the madam who claims she arranged female escorts for former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, announced she's running for governor Monday on a pro–marriage equality, prostitution, and pot platform. "Manhattan Madam" Kristin Davis spent nearly four months in prison in 2008 for her role in Wicked Models, a...

Gay BBC host may have died in sex game gone bad

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:46:00

Kristian Digby, the BBC presenter found dead at his home, may have died as the result of a sex game that went wrong. Police are investigating his death in "unexplained circumstances". The post mortem is expected to answer the question whether he died of suffocation after deliberately restricting his supply...

In D.C., blacks were crucial to gay marriage debate

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:18:00

Gay and lesbian couples will soon be able to marry in Washington, but the debate over same-sex marriage has sounded different here, with references to interracial marriage and Martin Luther King. Over the past year, both sides have courted the support of Washington's black community, a majority of the city's...

Catholic agency axes spouse benefits over D.C. gay marriage

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 11:49:00

Employees at Catholic Charities were told Monday that the social services organization is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers -- the latest fallout from a bitter debate between District officials trying to legalize same-sex marriage and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Starting...

E.U. reaffirms gay rights requirement for admission

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:20:00

The European Union has reaffirmed that countries wanting to join must provide genuine protections for their queer citizens. In accepting reports on membership bids by Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey, the European Parliament reminded all three that progress on GLBT issues was a non-negotiable condition of entry. Croatia was singled out...

Lesbian nomination to EEOC on secret Senate hold

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 08:16:00

At least one senator has put a secret hold on the confirmation of openly gay law professor Chai Feldblum and four others to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A Senate committee approved all the nominations, including Feldblum's, as a group in December. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry...

Portugal gay marriage bill gets final approval

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 07:58:00

The final wording of a gay marriage bill approved by Portugal's Parliament received approval on Wednesday, Portugal's IOL Diario reported. The government's Committee for Constitutional Affairs unanimously agreed on the bill's final language. The measure now heads to the desk of President Anibal Cavaco Silva. Cavaco Silva is a Roman...

'Real Housewives Atlanta' star in lesbian relationship

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 02:26:00

It looks like Desperate Housewives may have stolen a storyline straight from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Just like Dana Delany's character on the ABC series, Kim Zolciak, has entered into a romantic relationship with a woman. The Atlanta socialite has gone public with her lesbian relationship with Tracy Young....

Harold Ford Jr. won't run against Gillibrand in N.Y.

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 02:12:00

Under pressure from the Democratic Party, Harold E. Ford Jr. announced Monday evening he had decided not to challenge New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand in this fall's U.S. Senate primary. "I've examined this race in every possible way, and I keep returning to the same fundamental conclusion: If I run,...

Gay BBC TV host Kristian Digby found dead in home

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 01:51:00

The BBC television presenter Kristian Digby, 32, was yesterday found dead at his east London home. Police said the death was unexplained, and that the host of daytime television shows was dead when police and paramedics found him. Last night tributes were paid to Digby, presenter of programmes such as...

Weed killer castrating male frogs, feminizing some

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 01:47:00

Atrazine, a weed killer widely used in the Midwestern United States and other agricultural areas of the world, can chemically "castrate" male frogs and turn some into females, according to a new study. New research suggests the herbicide may be a cause of amphibian declines around the globe, said biologists...

D.C. gay marriage opponents appeal to high court

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 01:42:00

Opponents of gay marriage are asking the Supreme Court to put a hold on the District of Columbia's new law allowing same-sex couples to wed. The new law, passed in December, is supposed to take effect Wednesday. Court papers filed Monday with Chief Justice John Roberts argue that Washington residents...

U.C. Davis investigates gay vandalism as hate crime

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 16:47:00

University of California, Davis, officials say two recent cases of vandalism on campus are being investigated as hate crimes. A swastika, carved into a Jewish student's door in the Tercero residence hall, was discovered Feb. 19, said Lt. Matt Carmichael of the UC Davis Police Department. Carmichael said the department...

Perez sworn in as first gay Assembly speaker in Calif.

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:50:00

John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) made history Monday, March 1, when he was officially signed in as California's first openly gay Assembly Speaker. He is replacing Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), who is in turn pursuing Congresswoman Diane Watson's seat. "Equality California is thrilled to welcome Assemblymember John A. Pérez as Speaker...

Turin, Italy mayor symbolically marries gay couple

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 14:34:00

Sergio Chiamparino, the mayor of Turin, Italy, 'married' a lesbian couple who have been together for nine years in a symbolic ceremony at the Rotonda de Valentino on Saturday. Italian paper La Stampa reported that the couple had turned to him in an effort to institutionalize their love, and he...

Hitchens reveals male fling with Thatcher ministers

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:20:00

The government of Margaret Thatcher was not known for its friendliness to gay rights or leftwingers. However, the writer Christopher Hitchens has revealed that when he was a radical student at Oxford in the late 1960s he had sexual entanglements with two men who would later serve as Thatcher's ministers....

Dutch gays protest over Catholic communion refusal

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 12:17:00

Hundreds of Dutch activists have walked out of a Mass in protest at a Roman Catholic policy of denying communion to practising homosexuals. On this occasion, the church, in 's-Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing. The dispute began earlier this month...

HIV rates among U.S. urban gay men top sub-Saharan Africa

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 12:08:00

Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that within certain populations in America, the prevalence of HIV-infected people is higher than in certain parts of Africa: "More than 1 in 30 adults in Washington, D.C., are HIV-infected—a prevalence higher than that reported in Ethiopia, Nigeria, or Rwanda....

Uganda gay bill critics deliver massive online petition

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:11:00

Campaigners opposing Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill have taken an online petition to parliament, signed by some 450,000 people from around the world. The petition is the latest attempt to halt the bill, which carries the death penalty for some homosexual acts. US President Barack Obama has called the proposed legislation "odious"....

Clay Aiken on why it took so long for him to come out

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:39:00

*VIDEO after jump*: More than a year after Clay Aiken announced he was gay, the former American Idol star is taking a stand for gay rights issues. "We have a great deal of more work to do," he said Saturday during the Human Rights Campaign dinner in North Carolina before...

Super Mario Galaxy game box cover hides gay code

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:27:00

There's something about gamers that gives them an innate ability to home in on any and all homoerotic material and make as big a deal of it as possible. This would help explain why everybody's jumping on the 'news' that if you try really hard, you can almost pretend that...

Push to recognize British civil unions across Europe

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:03:00

Foreign minister Chris Bryant said today that the British Foreign Office was encouraging other countries in the EU to recognise civil partnerships performed in the UK. Speaking at a Foreign Office event this afternoon, the minister for Europe said that it was "utterly bonkers" that in some cases, gay couples...

Gay students help colleges recruit more gay students

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 09:57:00

At many colleges, it's a standard part of the recruiting process once applicants are admitted. Current students who share individual traits or academic interests help reach out to prospective students with similar backgrounds or interests. So the young woman who expresses an interest in engineering will hear from a female...

Obama nominates out lesbian for U.S. attorney post

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:43:00

President Obama has nominated out lesbian Laura E. Duffy to be the next U.S. attorney in San Diego. Duffy, an assistant U.S. attorney who is perhaps best known for leading the prosecution team that secured the guilty pleas of Francisco Javier Arellano Félix and several other members of the Arellano...

Prop 8 backers say gay marriage leads to abandoned kids

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:46:00

In papers filed late Friday, lawyers for the sponsors of California's gay marriage ban offered new twists on their claim that allowing gay men and lesbians to wed could undermine man-woman unions. The potential harms they cited included giving bisexuals a legal basis for pursuing group marriages and unmarried fathers...

John McCain defends flip-flop on gays in the military

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:07:00

*VIDEO after the jump*: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) defended his opposition to repealing the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, claiming military leaders remain divided on the issue so he is not ready to defer on the question to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,...

Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras crowds up, arrests down

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:55:00

Crowd numbers were up and crime was down at Sydney's 33rd annual Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night. The transsexual identity Amanda Lepore was the parade chief, leading almost 10,000 participants and 135 floats in a History of the World-themed cavalcade. Police said the night featured fewer arrests and fewer...

Tory leader pushes 'compassionate' conservativism

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:49:00

U.K. Conservative Party leader David Cameron has delivered a key note speech at the party's spring forum in Brighton. Although he made no direct reference to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgenered) issues, he did attempt to portray the party as modern, tolerant and compassionate. Mr Cameron's speech came on the...

Catholics warn U.K. equality law will harm children

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:45:00

Children in care will suffer if the last Roman Catholic adoption agency in England and Wales is forced to close down by gay equality laws, Church leaders warned today. Three Catholic bishops told worshippers that they were taking the case of the Catholic Care adoption agency to the High Court...

Hundreds march in Austin after gay softball bashing

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:41:00

Trailing a banner that read "Austin March Against Hate," hundreds of people walked from a downtown gay bar to City Hall on Saturday to retrace the path of two gay men who were attacked last weekend. "Ignorance is not the way. Fear is not the answer. Love will conquer hate,"...

N.C. rep targeted on DADT with 13,500 toy soldiers

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:07:00

A Charlotte gay-rights group will ask U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., today to join their fight to repeal the nation's don't ask, don't tell policy, which bans gays from serving openly in the military. Charlotte Rainbow Action Network for Equality, or CRANE, plans to rally this afternoon on the measure,...

Insurance agents see new market in gay marriage

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:01:00

Five states – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont — have approved gay marriage laws in recent years, and a same-sex marriage law will go into effect in Washington, D.C. next month. In all, 31 states have put same-sex marriage on voting ballots or referendums in recent years, and...

Canadian court overturns ruling against anti-gay pamphlets

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:54:00

Saying there is a difference between criticizing homosexual acts and condemning gay people themselves, Saskatchewan's top court has overturned a human rights tribunal decision against a religious activist who distributed anti-gay pamphlets. Bill Whatcott will not have to pay the $17,500 in compensation a provincial tribunal awarded in 2005 to...

Massive crowds in Sydney for Gay Mardi Gras event

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:37:00

"Come on board honies and celebrate, let's have a good time!" The words of Rosa the Russian Beautician captured the vibe at Sydney's 2010 Mardi Gras parade tonight. "Everybody likes dressing up," she said. "So if anyone wants to jump on the bandwagon..." Her invitation didn't fall on deaf ears....

2010 Census will allow gay couples to check 'married' box

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:06:00

Census forms should arrive in every mailbox on or about March 15 and should be returned in the self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope by April 1. Each household fills out one form. Person 1 answers 10 questions. Persons 2 through 6 have seven questions to answer. Numbers 7 through 12 fill out...

Air Force uninvites anti-gay activist over DADT stance

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:36:00

*WARNING: anti-gay source*: There could be some unintended collateral damage when it comes to the question of openly practicing gays and lesbians in the military. The issue could pit political correctness against First Amendment rights, some say -- and a battleground is erupting over a simple public speaking engagement. Family...

D.C. gay marriage survives last legal hurdle

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:34:00

The D.C. Court of Appeals Friday denied a request by a Maryland minister for an injunction to block the city's same-sex marriage law from taking effect March 3, ending the last potential obstacle to the start of gay nuptials the following week. In a unanimous decision, Associate Judges Noel Kramer...

Harry Potter speaks out for gay suicide prevention

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:11:00

Daniel Radcliffe is explaining why he has just filmed a public service announcement for The Trevor Project, the leading organization focusing on suicide prevention efforts among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth. Because his parents were both actors, ''I grew up knowing a lot of gay men and it was...

Can a slur turn a fight into an anti-gay hate crime?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:30:00

If someone makes gay slurs in the middle of a fight -- is it a hate crime? Even if the victim wasn't targeted because of his sexual orientation? Those were the questions posed to Cook County Judge Ramon Ocasio III on Wednesday during a hearing involving three Evanston men charged...

Gays can adopt, not marry, says Calif. GOP hopeful

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:41:00

Gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt, but not marry. Illegal immigration is a huge problem, but immigrant children shouldn't be punished for the sins of their parents. And California is a mess, but that doesn't mean it's going to fail. In her first major interview since kicking her...

Aussie TV anchors investigated over gay skating jibes

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:05:00

Two Australian sports commentators are facing an investigation by the New South Wales anti-discrimination board for their remarks about men's figure skating. Mike Molloy and Eddie McGuire made the remarks last week during the Winter Olympics men's figure skating contest. They joked about the sexual orientation of the contestants and...

Gay rugby star signs on to campaign to inspire youth

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:01:00

Rugby ace Gareth Thomas is the latest big name to get behind The Lesbian & Gay Foundation's Aim High Campaign for young lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas, who famously came out in December 2009, and whose story was made all the more remarkable due to...

Scotland to enact Europe's first trans hate crime law

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:50:00

New legislation that will protect queer people in Scotland will pass into law next month, making Scotland the first country in Europe to implement hate crime law which covers transphobic hate crime. The Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009, also known as the hate crimes bill, will extend protection...

Citibank sorry for gay flap, after underwear imbroglio

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:26:00

Citibank apologized Thursday evening to a gay social-networking service that claimed bank employees had blocked its account for "objectionable content" on the site. In a statement, the bank said it "sincerely apologizes to Mr. Goldberg for this misunderstanding. This situation had nothing to do with the content of his web...

Md. Dem calls marriage opinion 'bucket of warm spit'

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:33:00

An opinion by Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler that prods state agencies to recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere has come under attack by several lawmakers. Gansler, a Democrat, concluded that Maryland's highest court is likely to decide in favor of recognizing such marriages. The Court of Appeals "will likely...

N.C. Republican claims gays and blacks run Raleigh

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:27:00

A Republican state senator from Gaston County apologized Thursday for remarks about gays and blacks that riled state Democratic leaders. Sen. Jim Forrester said he didn't mean to offend anyone when he said "slick city lawyers and homosexual lobbies and African-American lobbies are running Raleigh" at a Tuesday meeting of...

Wanda Sykes and Rosie O'Donnell talk lesbian-hood

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:22:00

Out comedian Wanda Sykes confided in Rosie O'Donnell and millions of listeners when she called the comedian's SiriusXM talk show to talk openly about her decision to come out and her family's less-than-positive reaction. The funny lady also dished on meeting her wife, Alex, her sudden decision to come out...

Apple booting 5,000+ racy apps from iPhone store

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:22:00

A new policy at Apple's App Store has led to the deletion of many "overtly sexual" apps, including Hunk Du Jour, which is popular among gay men. In an email to developers of rejected racy apps, Apple said: "We have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type...

Anglican bishops want gay weddings in UK churches

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:48:00

A proposed amendment to the Equality Bill to lift the ban on civil partnerships in religious premises is thought to have gained the backing of bishops in the House of Lords. The move would open the door to the registration of civil partnerships in churches, synagogues, mosques and all other...

Gaydar publisher buys Southern Voice, David assets

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:49:00

A last-minute bid by the publishers of Gaydar during a bankruptcy hearing Thursday landed the weekly nightlife glossy the name and other assets of Southern Voice and David magazine. The $9,000 bid usurped the efforts of former SoVo staffers and its co-founder, who had proposed buying the assets for $8,000...

Did Citibank block a startup over blog's gay content?

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:03:00

Gay-focused social network Fabulis, discovered yesterday that their bank account at Citi had been blocked, according to a post on the company's blog. Citibank terminated their account for having "objectionable content," according to the company. No one at Citibank has pointed to anything specific that's objectionable yet. No one on...

British P.M. speaks out against Don't Ask Don't Tell

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:57:00

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has praised gays in Britain's armed forces and criticised the US's policy which stops out troops serving in the military. At a reception last night at Number 10 Downing Street to celebrate February's LGBT History Month, Brown singled out the lesbians, gays and bisexuals from the...

Well-heeled activists go after NY marriage opponents

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:11:00

Angered by the defeat last year of a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry, a group of well-financed gay rights advocates has started a political action committee to take aim at state senators who have opposed same-sex marriage. The first person the committee will single out is...

Gay activists to launch national ACT-UP-like network

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:03:00

Around 45 LGBT activists of varying national stature met at the Highlander Research and Education Center in rural Tennessee in late January to create a new national LGBT direct-action movement. "We had one thing on our agenda: Discuss ways to build a national network of activists to demand full equality...

S.F. will try again to reduce gay HIV rates by 50%

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:58:00

After not reaching their goal to reduce new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men by 50 percent by 2008, San Francisco health officials will try again. In the city's recently published 2010 HIV Prevention Plan, the overall goal is to reduce new HIV infections by 50 percent by 2015....

Ford sorry for backing federal marriage amendment

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:48:00

*VIDEO after the jump*: Harold Ford Jr. went to the Stonewall Democratic Club tonight to try to explain his evolution from backing a constitutional ban on gay marriage to supporting same-sex nuptials. But he spent as much time listening as he did talking, as he was ripped by furious members...

Weir wants homophobic critics to think, not apologize

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:09:00

Johnny Weir is looking for understanding, not an apology. Broadcasters on French-language RDS who made derogatory comments about the American figure skater's masculinity need to consider the impact their words will have on others, particularly impressionable youngsters, Weir said Wednesday. "I want them to think before they speak. I want...

Beverly Hills disowns anti-gay Miss. Calif contestant

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:05:00

Less than a year after dethroned Miss California USA Carrie Prejean stirred up controversy with her remarks against gay marriage, a similar war of words is brewing in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills Mayor Nancy Krasne said Wednesday she is outraged over a Miss California USA contestant who is claiming to...

Navy, Marine chiefs oppose gay discharge moratorium

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:21:00

Top Navy and Marine Corps officers said Wednesday that they opposed a moratorium on discharges of openly gay military personnel. "I would encourage you to either change the law or not," said Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant. "But half measures will only be confusing in the end."...

Have gay Republicans found their place in the GOP?

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:42:00

A memorable moment at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference could mark a turning point in the long-fraught relationship between gays and the Republican Party. CPAC is perhaps the nation's premiere conservative gathering, a convivial opportunity for impassioned right-wing activists to network, plan for upcoming elections and listen to the...

Lutherans are seeing fallout over gay clergy issue

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:12:00

Several hundred congregations are moving toward a permanent split with the decision last August by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America to allow pastors in committed same-sex relationships to serve openly. The number is still a small portion of the 10,000-church denomination, but by most accounts it has been a...

HUD to study anti-gay discrimination in U.S. housing

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:07:00

When federal officials studied housing discrimination based on race, the setup was simple: They sent in testers of different backgrounds and gauged how landlords and real estate agents treated people of color compared with whites. As the government prepares a first-ever study of housing discrimination against gays, however, the issue...

Lieberman predicts DADT repeal 'hard' to do in 2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:28:00

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who plans to introduce a bill to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military as soon as next week, is under no illusions that a full reversal of the existing policy will be possible this year. "I'm not kidding myself," Lieberman told reporters...

Md. may recognize gay marriages from other states

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:24:00

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler says a same-sex marriage that is "valid in the jurisdiction in which it was contracted" may be recognized in Maryland under state law. "Such marriages may be recognized in several ways," says the opinion. "First, legislation enacted by the General Assembly could provide for recognition...

HIV-positive gay doctor on trial in Ga. for teen sex

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:36:00

The fate of an HIV-positive former Emory and Grady doctor is in the hands of a federal jury, which began deliberations in his criminal trial Monday afternoon in downtown Atlanta. Adam Lebowitz, who did not testify in his own defense, is accused of two federal counts of producing child pornography...

Clay Aiken speaks up for gay rights in N.C. hometown

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:30:00

Clay Aiken will take the stage at the convention center Saturday night to do something he has never done before: deliver a speech about gay rights. But don't expect him to pound his fist and scream for the right to get married. "There are people who are loud and make...

iPhone game raises awareness, funds for gay rights

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:23:00

US mobile games firm Factory Games has launched Valet Hustler, a game which aims to raise awareness about gay and lesbian marital rights. The company is pitching the game (App Store link) as Tetris meets Diner Dash, offering 3D arcade puzzles around a virtual car valet business. However, the two...

Lesbian sex attacker, brags, marries man, now jailed

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:12:00

A woman who bragged: 'I'm better than a man' during a lesbian attack was jailed for a year yesterday. Teresa Cottingham, 35, drunkenly floored another woman with a martial arts move in a hotel room before throttling her and forcing a sex act on her. Cottingham, who has since married...

Critics say student anti-bias bill stifles free speech

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:16:00

*WARNING: anti-gay source*: A bill in Congress that would prohibit discrimination in public schools based on sexual orientation or gender identity could stifle free speech and even lead to "homosexual indoctrination" in the nation's classrooms, critics say. The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), or H.R. 4530, was introduced late last month...

Killer marries dealer in UK's first lesbian prison wedding

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:05:00

A killer and her drug-dealer lover have married in jail - in Britain's first lesbian prison wedding, it emerged yesterday. Murderer Sara Crane and Joanne Davies, both 31, got permission from jail governor Ian Murray for the secret ceremony. They wore their own clothes and celebrated with a party for...

Gay-bashing CPAC'er has a checkered legal history

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:16:00

The man who cited natural law in an off-script anti-gay rant at CPAC has had two run-ins with the real law in the past decade, including a restraining order for domestic violence, according to court records in California. Ryan Sorba of California Young Americans for Freedom, who is a longtime...