Before Royal Colonial's property manager Peggy Watson showed Fred Sternbach several apartments, he filled out a form asking how many would live there and their relationships. Sternbach wrote he'd live with his partner. He decided to live there. An hour after he left, Ms. Watson phoned asking what "partner" meant. Sternbach said partner meant Stephen Miller. Watson said Royal Colonial would not be able to accommodate him because they only rent to married couples. As a result, a court accomodated Sternbach, requiring Royal Colonial to post a nondiscrimination statement in their office and on housing application forms, in addition to paying $75,000 in damages and legal fees. Advocate

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Ed Gray, a Boston Herald sportswriter, said he could no longer tolerate the ''unabashed homophobia'' in professional sports, revealed he was gay in a column and called on teams to crack down on what he called the last acceptable prejudice in the sports world. The 55-year-old reporter who has worked at the Herald for twenty years said, ''I just got to the point where I didn't want to be silent anymore. In the sports world, homophobia is tolerated. It's the one minority that seems to be fair game.'' The column, headline ''Out and Proud,'' was displayed prominently on the back page of the Herald. Boston Globe

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Dorothy Haines, 24, an exotic dancer with a history of mental illness, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter of her lover, Suzanne Stiehl, plus another 5 years for hindering her own apprehension. The strangling and dismembering of her girlfriend occured in an Ocean City rooming house last December. Haines, a short heavyset redhead, was saved from facing a murder trail by her mental illness history. She apologized to the victim's mother and brothers sitting in the courtroom, then told Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten she does not belong in prison. "I'd probably be better off in a mental institution." Prosecutors began investigating Stiehl's death after a construction worker found a severed hand and foot behind a building in Atlantic City on Dec. 20. In January Stiehl's head was found in the woods near Route 9 in Pleasantville. Press of Atlantic City

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A Stafford businessman said he is being forced to close his bar because people think it's a gay club and won't drink there because of it. Bar LA1 opened last November and planned to pilot an occasional night aimed at the gay community. As a result, vandals put bricks through the bar's windows. Owner David Kibble said, "If we surveyed 100 people in the town, even now 90 per cent would say it is a gay bar. As a result some of the customers we have had have been abusive to our staff. It is not worth the hassle staying here." Express and Star

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In Tokyo, Japan, police arrested a 33-year-old cross-dresser on charges of theft and one act of obscenity. In his apartment they recovered 420 pieces of female underwear and other items he confessed to having stolen. The suspect, Yuji Ishimatsu, also received another arrest warrant for allegedly groping a 16-year-old girl from behind. A police spokesman reported he was dressed like a school girl at that time, complete with fashionable sagging white socks and uniform-like skirt. The private Nippon television network quoted Ishimatsu as telling police, "I like high school girls and like to be dressed like them." Hindustan Times

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In Madison, Wisconsin, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told reporters he has no intention of stopping "Corpus Christi", a controversial play that features Jesus Christ as a gay man. His office is receiving thousands of postcards from across the country via a mass mailing campaign coordinated by a Pennsylvania-based religious group. "Free speech sometimes is offensive, and that's the way it is," Cieslewicz said. Channel 3000

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John Lotter, convicted in the murders of Brandon Teena, Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, will not get a chance to prove his innocence with DNA tests. The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected Lotter's claims that the tests would produce evidence that he was wrongly convicted or sentenced. Lotter is on death row. The murder of transgendered Teena inspired the 1999 movie "Boys Don't Cry." Lotter says Marvin Nissen actually murdered Teena and the two others. Nissen testified against Lotter in exchange for a lighter sentence. Sioux City Journal

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Mia Hundvin, one of Norway's most successful professional handball players, won't be Danish team Aalborg's new star after all. Aalborg announced that Hundvin, who is bisexual, is pregnant and out for the season. Her boyfriend, snowboarder Terje Haakonsen, won't comment. Hundvin, 26, earlier lived in a registered partnership with fellow handball pro Camilla Andersen. In January, Hundvin confirmed the two women were no longer romantically involved. Aftenposten

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Michigan Down Under? A spat has broken out over a bid to exclude anyone other than "female-born lesbians" from attending or working at a national festival. Organizers of Lesfest 2004 got its exemption from equal opportunity laws revoked. The festival previously had been allowed to advertise for only "female-born lesbians" to attend and work at the seven-day event. That exemption was revoked because the organizers had failed to notify the tribunal about a complaint. The Australian WOMAN Network, a transsexual lobby group, had applied to revoke the exemption because the term "female-born" was offensive. Lesfest spokeswoman Anna Holland-Moore said outside the tribunal there was a difference between lesbians who were raised female and those born male. smh.com.au

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This link is to a Focus on the Family press release, and you might wonder why we'd bother, but something very interesting is going on. A few years ago, when Janet Folger and the gang came out with the "Truth in Love" campaign, their message was very different. They said every queer needed a cure, and that it was incumbent on Christians who loved them to pressure them to become straight before they fell victim to drug abuse and AIDS. Focus on the Family, on the other hand, is pushing the cure only for those with "unwanted homosexuality." A subtle but enormous difference. Anyway, if you're experiencing unwanted homosexuality, you may attend "Love Won Out" in Oklahoma City next month. No, you may not send that woman downstairs who keeps hitting on your girlfriend. Yahoo!

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We got all excited when we read that the Gay and Lesbian Humanist
Association was saying the British government is fobbing off same-sex couples.
But it turns out that's a bad thing. Their point is that allowing queers to register partnerships instead of marry is an inferior, second-class solution. "We believe that the principle of equality is best served by opening up marriage, with all its rights and responsibilities, to same-sex partners," the group says. Spokesman Terry Sanderson adds that the reason the government is unwilling to offer marriage rights is its fear of religious groups: "We fear that the Government are running scared of reactions from religious groups if they were to use the word 'marriage' in this context." uk.gay.com

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Several national gay and lesbian groups are asking North Carolina Governor Mike Easley to stay Eddie Hartman's execution, which is set for Friday. Hartman's sexuality and history of sexual abuse as a child are factors that supporters hope can save his life. Hartman admitted he drank 16 beers before shooting his roommate in the head. Hartman buried the man in a barn and took off with his money and his car. Although Hartman admitted his guilt, his lawyers believe the prosecutor's remarks that Hartman was gay inflamed the jury, sending Hartman to death row. WRAL

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Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is drafting regulations that could outlaw sex before marriage, living together outside wedlock, and homosexuality, an official said yesterday - providing certain criteria were met. Abdul Gani Abdullah, the Director General of Legislation, said the draft revisions would also ban witchcraft. "If society chooses not to do anything and has no objection to any cohabitation for example, then it is not a crime," Abdullah said by telephone, adding that people would need to lodge complaints before authorities reacted. He added Muslim leaders, including experts in Islamic sharia law, had been consulted. Guardian Unlimited

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In England, outrage sparked at a Buckinghamshire County Council meeting when Councillor Margaret Dewar said the local authority, which runs the marriage registration service, may offer partnership ceremonies. Councillor Frank Sweatman said fine, but he wanted an assurance partnership services would be for heterosexual couples only, who for some reason might want all the benefits of marriage and a legal ceremony without an actual marriage. Anyway, all hell broke loose, and Councillor Bob Woollard was heard to say, "On the face of it we have gone back 20 years to the days of Red Ken, the Loonie Left and the GLC." Bucks Free Press

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A storyline in British Channel 4 soap "Hollyoaks" regarding a gay relationship was in line with television guidelines, according to the ITC. The body, which follows up complaints, received letters from those who thought it was inappropriate to show a gay relationship on a show aimed at teenagers. Complaints suggested that because the relationship between Nathan and Nick was sexual, the program shouldn't be able to show it because of its time slot. ITC ruled the show dealt with the issues surrounding the couple in a "responsible and appropriate" manner. "Kissing on a couch (with their clothes on) should not offend viewers." Gay.com UK

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They may not endorse same-sex marriage, but a majority of New Jersey residents favor "s" according to the latest Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll. In responses much more liberal than previous national polls, 52 percent support s and six out of 10 said same-sex couples should be entitled to health insurance and Social Security benefits through their partners. The most surprising results of the poll, particularly after the Vatican's war on gay marriage, were that the state's Catholics supported same-sex unions significantly more than Protestants. NJ.com

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Since the brutal murder of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo almost a year ago, Sylvia Guerrero, her mother has lost her high-paying job as a legal assistant, her boyfriend ended their relationship and her son Brandon, 13, has moved out of state to live with his father. Guerrero said she thinks about the slaying every day. "The pain is so deep," she said. "Nothing can take away the pain." On Saturday, the Guerrero family will privately honor the memory of Araujo, whom they now refer to as Gwen Amber Rose Araujo. Amber Rose was the name Guerrero gave Eddie before the child was born, believing she was having a girl. She has changed the name on the urn and is petitioning the court to change the name on the death certificate. Courier Journal

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Controversial plans to offer state help to Rio de Janeiro's gays have stunned Brazil. In proposals put to Rio’s Legislative Assembly by state deputy Edino Fonseca psychological support would be provided for gays to change. The politician proposing the “support” initiative is a pastor from the Assembléia de Deus movement, a massive evangelical church with significant political clout. Fonseca says: "Homosexuality is not a one-way street. Every option in life has an exit and a return. [...] My project is to orientate those people who are suffering some kind of existential crisis so that they receive some kind of support. It’s a social problem," he said. Great Reporter

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TV Guide opines: "Isn't it ironic? Girl-on-girl action never fails to get a rise out of viewers, yet being a lesbian can send a starlet's career spiraling downward. Luckily, the new Mrs. Melissa Etheridge, Tammy Lynn Michaels, doesn't give a damn; the former 'Popular' vixen has her priorities in order." "This industry is fickle," she says. "What's most important is who's going to be there with you at the end of the day when people stop taking pictures." If Michaels herself is considered to be something of a Tinseltown outcast, however, she's delighted. After all, that would put her in excellent company! "You know, Julia Roberts was the hottest thing, then she had a couple of movies that fell through, and [media vultures] were talking about her like she was a has-been," the modern-day Bette Davis points out. "Now, she f---ing owns Hollywood!" TV Guide

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Titled "He's a Little Bit Country," the "Queer Eye" makeover for Straight Guy John Bargeman turned Bargeman from cowboy to cosmopolitan. And it did a few other things, including landing him an acting audition. Although Bargeman says his small-town upbringing never exposed him to the queer touch that the men in the "Fab Five" personify, it didn't bother him to be doted on so aggressively the day of his makeover. If anything, he said, the experience shattered stereotypes and gave him a deeper understanding of queer guys. "One thing's for a fact: I have more respect for gay people now than I ever did in my whole entire life." And he won't shave against the grain anymore, either. Union City Reporter

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Fred Phelps brought his "God Hates Fags" crew to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this week to protest the showing of "Jim in Bold," a documentary about a gay Pennsylvania teen's suicide. The locals were unimpressed. "We say to Fred Phelps as Christians, 'Are there no hungry children in Kansas that need to be fed?'" asked local NAACP President Clare Jones. The crowd's murmurs grew as she asked whether Kansas had no homeless, s, widows or orphans who need to hear the word of God. "If these things are not done, how do you have time to spend on bigotry in Pennsylvania?" Seventeen-year-old Casey Bossler, who came to see the film with her queer best friend, was more succinct: "Go back to where you came from!" Patriot-News

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No one knows how many queer people are parents, but nearly 168,000 same-sex couples throughout the nation reported children at home during the 2000 census. That's more than a ninefold increase over the 1990 census. In Florida, where nearly 10,000 same-sex couples reported children at home in 2000, the numbers could escalate if a federal court strikes down the state law forbidding gays from adopting children. A ruling is expected soon. Living in the suburban Miami neighborhood of Kendall, Stephanie Woolley and Mary Larrea already typify the trend. Accepted by their families and friends, Woolley, 30, a teacher, and Larrea, 43, a juvenile-court administrator, entered adulthood comfortable with their sexuality. When they met six years ago, they fell in love and settled down, buying a house and pledging to build a life together. Their triplets, born last year with an anonymous donor's sperm, made their family whole. "When I was young, I didn't know whether to fake it so I could have kids or live the life I wanted," said Woolley, now a stay-at-home mom. "When I realized having children and being gay weren't mutually exclusive, a huge burden lifted." Orlando Sentinel


The Sentinel also offers this article about what the experts and critics have to say about queer families. Orlando Sentinel

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After complaints from gay groups and others, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has again barred Sandals from advertising its "couples" hotels. The firm ran a four-week, campaign this year on the Tube, offering vacations for its "romantic, mixed-sex couples only" resorts. Sandals, whose slogan "Love is all you need" is seen as bitterly ironic by gays, has already been criticized for its discriminatory policy. Complaints about its stance led Barclaycard to drop the firm from its promotions. "London Underground agreed it is not acceptable for a company with such an openly discriminatory policy to advertise on public transport in this city," says the mayor. Barbara Roche, the former equalities minister, says: "If they had a policy banning black couples or Jewish couples, they wouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Why should they with gay couples?" For its part, Sandals issued a completely irrelevant statement we won't bother with here. Independent

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Of course, people do go both ways," says the Scarecrow in the "Wizard of Oz." With another crowd, it might not have brought the house down. But Thursday's premiere of "Sing-A-Long Wizard of Oz" in Pittsburgh was a benefit for Persad, an organization that provides mental health services to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. It didn't matter who was what, and it was even hard to tell in some cases with so many in the audience cloaked in assorted Oz costumes. Hirsute Dorothies and Glindas as big as linebackers. The level of both imagination and effort was astonishing. Eric Gerstbrein was hidden inside a 10-foot-tall black funnel. Chris Criscuolo dressed as Dorothy with a tornado attached to his shoulder, and when the lights went down he glowed in the dark. Post-Gazette

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In a controversy that led two clergymen to resign in protest, a service for queer Anglicans was canceled earlier this year at England's Manchester Cathedral. Gay groups hope moves by the of Manchester to heal a growing rift over the issue could see the service reinstated in a "slimmed down" form. Permission for the service, part of a three-day conference based at Manchester University, was withdrawn as arguments erupted worldwide about homosexuality in the Anglican Church. The , the Rt. Rev. Nigel McCulloch, is appointing an advisory group to discuss the service and give him direct access to the views of gay churchgoers and clergy. He said: "I am fully aware of the misunderstandings about the cancellation of the cathedral service. I am not prepared to countenance homophobia as a result. The gay community is an important part of our life here and we must listen to each other." Manchester Online

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The South African government has passed legislation amending the Birth and Death Registration Act to allow transgender people to correct their sex as entered in the official register. The bill will now go to the national council of provinces for approval. The African Christian Democratic Party was the only party to object to the Alteration of Sex Description and Sex Status Bill. The ACDP's Steve Swart says a person's sex for legal purposes is a wholly biological question and "is fixed at birth. ... This is another example of the impact of secular humanism on our legislative process - secular humanism being undergirded by concepts of atheism and evolution." Our guess is, he doesn't get out much. 365Gay.com

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Graham Norton likes to claim he whiled away his Irish childhood on the sofa. "If I was to make a film of my life it would probably start when I was 18," he once said. "All I did as a child was sit at home and watch TV. That was my window to life and it was a world I always wanted to be a part of." And now he is, with several seasons of a popular celebrity interview show behind him on British TV. Now Norton, who has always touched his cap with uncharacteristic sincerity when mentioning Leno and Letterman, has landed his own regular slot on a U.S. network, after BBC America aired Channel 4's "So Graham Norton" and "V Graham Norton" and turned him into a cult figure. Apparently beating off (yeah, it really says that) rival bids from NBC and ABC, Comedy Central has signed him to a 13-episode deal. Guardian Unlimited

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Like thousands of New York City kids, Kimberly Howard loves basketball and dreams of playing on her high school team. The softspoken 17-year-old sips on a Sprite in a downtown Starbucks and talks about practicing with her brothers and sister on the court next to her Queens home. "I played on teams when I was younger," says Howard. "But I've never had a chance to play on a high school team." Howard acknowledges she's not just a typical kid obsessed with hoops. Born male, Howard takes hormones to become female, which, as she points out, raises a unique question: "Will transgender students be able to play on the girls' teams?" PSAL officials might have to answer that question soon: Howard's school, Harvey Milk High, the nation's first state-accredited school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, hopes to field teams in the city's Public Schools Athletic League as soon as September 2004, according to assistant principal Alan Nolan. New York Daily News

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One of the Church of England's most senior s has compared opponents of the ordination of queer clergy with supporters of slavery. The of Oxford, the Rt. Rev. Richard Harries, who appointed queer theologian Dr. Jeffrey John as the suffragan of Reading earlier this year (John ultimately stepped down under pressure), says the Church will ultimately be forced to admit that it "got it wrong" over the appointment of queer clergy, in the same way that it has been wrong over slavery, the persecution of Jews and women's right to vote. The says that, instead of opposing change, the Church should acknowledge its mistakes and become an "inclusive" institution, providing "the best pastoral provision for people who are gay and lesbian." Telegraph

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"A curious truth about Republican politics in California: the more conservative an area, the better the supply of closeted gays frantically working to please GOP big boys," writes R. Scott Moxley. "The best evidence of this axiom is Orange County. Here, for instance, current Southern California Edison VP Brian Bennett played fawning chief of staff to anti-gay Congressman Bob Dornan for years before swallowing his pride and outing himself." OC Weekly wanted to talk to Orange County GOP grand poobah Tom Fuentes about queer Republicans, but ... he didn't want to talk about them. So Moxley found "pipe-smoking, scotch-drinking, Republican raconteur Christopher Gilbertson," state vice chairman of the Log Cabin Republicans. Why be a queer Republican? "Because that’s where openly gay and lesbian people most need to be visibly demonstrating that we are not the gross caricatures portrayed by the Traditional Values Coalition ... that there are gays concerned about levels of taxation, crime and national defense, plus a host of other issues," says Gilbertson. Orange County Weekly

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Dan Kelly attends an Episcopal Church in Connecticut where his partner, Doug, is the priest. Kelly says he closely followed debates at the Episcopal General Convention, including discussion about blessings for same-sex unions. (He and Doug celebrated their union in 1991.) About the confirmation of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Kelly says he had a split reaction. He was pleased Robinson, who is gay, won the necessary votes, but surprised that a big chunk of delegates voted no. "And it just struck me that one-third of my church thinks that my relationship with Doug is sinful, and I did question whether I would continue to go to church," Kelly says. Then he remembered his fellow congregants and how they welcomed him. With the debate over Robinson's confirmation still dividing Episcopalians, Kelly says he hopes to keep Robinson's opponents within the Episcopal Church. Stamford Advocate

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Using pulpits, petitions, and political action committees, conservative activists are mobilizing a grass-roots political movement against gay marriage that they say is more intense and urgent than their campaigns against abortion. Look for pickets at a domestic partner registry near you. Activists say their aims are to enact a federal constitutional amendment sanctioning only opposite-sex marriage and to make 2004 presidential candidates take a stand against same-sex unions (as if most of them haven't) and queer rights. Alarmed by the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision making it perfectly legal for queers to have sex in private, conservatives say they are redirecting resources from the antiabortion movement and the school voucher fight to stop the expansion of gay rights. They warn, as Focus on the Family founder James Dobson did in a newsletter this month, that "the homosexual activist movement ... is poised to administer a devastating and potentially fatal blow to the traditional family." Boston.com

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When Emily Guzman came to the University at Albany last year, she wasn't exactly best friends with her roommate. But things got a lot worse once her roommate found out she was a lesbian. After that, the roommate refused to change clothes in her presence, instead taking her clothes to the bathroom down the hall or waiting until Guzman left. And the two rarely talked. Once, during an argument, the roommate made an offensive comment referring to Guzman's sexual orientation. "She'd say stuff like that because she knew it would upset me," she said. "I wasn't in my room much because she made it uncomfortable." She moved out in December. Meeting a roommate at college, especially as a freshman, can be a scary experience. It's doubly so for students who are attracted to the same sex or otherwise questioning their sexuality. With National Coming Out Day approaching, it's an issue that is on the minds of many gay students who live in dormitories. TimesUnion.com

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In Gina Gershon's new film "Prey for Rock and Roll" (a script she liked so much she signed on as producer when the film ran into money problems) she plays Jacki, an aging tattoo artist and front woman for a rock band called Clam Dandy. The film is based on the life of rocker Cheri Lovedog, who wrote the script. Gershon, something of a queer icon with her films "Bound" and "Showgirls", plays a tough-talking bisexual this round - with a racy lesbian sex scene. To get into the role Joan Jett showed her some guitar moves, and she spent a month at a LA tattoo parlor. "But I don't have any tattoos," she said, looking at her bare arms. "I have commitment issues." NY Times. Official film site. In the Bay Area? Spend your post Folsom Street Fair with Gina and the band live tomorrow.

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In Boca Rotan, Florida, the editor's column of The Galleon student newspaper at Spanish River High School, on life as a gay teen, will appear in classrooms next week. Principal Constance Tuman-Rugg said, "It was never an issue of not wanting it published. I just needed to have a little time to review it." Under the headline "High school homosexuality appears absolutely queer," Editor-in-Chief David Sternberg's first-person account describes how his classmates whisper in the halls about his sexuality. "There was a huge amount of uncertainty of whether or not the paper would be handed out," Sternberg said. Several thousand copies remain locked in a classroom and he's relieved the paper will be distributed. "I just felt I didn't do anything wrong. I felt bad it was causing this big stir." TCPalm

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In June, Tim and Roy McCanless of Peoria, Illinois, got hitched in a civil ceremony in Vermont. Though Illinois doesn't recognize same-sex unions, you wouldn't know it by the Secretary of State's Office. The pair managed to change Roy's driver's license from his maiden name of Roy Bates to Roy McCanless. It's apparently the first time a name change based on a same-sex marriage has been granted. Tim says, "I guess there has to be a wife, and he's the wife. In every relationship, there has to be a dominant figure, and I guess I'm the dominant figure." PJStar

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"She’s a man-eater (and a woman-eater too), a high voltage electro-rock nympho on record and a gender-fucking sexual conduit on stage. From her leather-bound toes to her glossy pink hot pants up to her tightly curled mullet-top, Peaches screams sex, shouts rock’n’roll and drops hip-hop rhymes and booty anthems like one righteous bitch. She’s an honest, equal opportunity entertainer, fucker and philosopher, but no matter how openly she bares the wilder side of her soul and the hairier bits of her flesh, no one sees Peaches the same way. She’s either a walking porno or a frothy feminist, a "herm" hero, a woman, a man…" Exclaim

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Having grown out the 80's hairdo Isaac Mizrahi inflicted upon her, Rosie
O’Donnell was hawking autographs, paraphernalia from her erstwhile morning
show, and a $1,000 jacket from the upcoming Broadway production, Taboo,
which she’s producing. What’s taboo in Rosie’s personal life these days?
“Sugar,” she reported. “I’m trying not to eat sugar. It’s been suggested to
me by people in my life, to make me more stable.” Gay City News

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McGill Baptist Church was voted out of the Cabarrus Baptist Association, as well as the rolls of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The crime? Baptizing two gay men. In 1992, the convention's General Board changed its financial policy to exclude "any church which knowingly takes, or has taken, any official action which manifests public approval, promotion or blessing of homosexuality." Steve Ayers, McGill's pastor, responds - "I hope this doesn't mean that all gay members of churches would be purged from churches affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. If someone thinks there [are] not gay people in churches, somebody needs to look around." ABP News. Thanks Chrisafer.

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In Yokohama, Japan, a 17 year old female-to-male transgender teenager was arrested for performing "obscene acts" of lesbianism with a straight 18-year-old teenage girl. "I approached her (the victim) with intention to milk money from her. In my heart I'm a man," police quoted the teenager as saying. The victim was not aware her partner was female, and was reportedly stunned when investigators informed her of the fact. The trans teen used a man's name and posted a message seeking a female partner on an Internet matchmaking site and the girl responded. For about a month the two engaged in these "obscene acts" at a hotel in Yokosuka and other locations without ever undressing, police said. The suspect was booked for breaking the Child Welfare Law as well as assault. Mainichi Daily News

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Mr. Two Dogs said that in the old days the people that are now called winkte were once called wapetokeca. "This word has several meanings but it generally means one who is marked, but in a good way. It is one who has signs, who is connected to miracles and wonders. The wapetokeca were looked upon as people with special powers. They were considered to be persons who brought good luck. Many of the traditional Lakota leaders received their names from the wapetokeca. It is said that Crazy Horse and Black Elk got their names from them. In fact, it was said that Crazy Horse went into battle with a wapetokeca riding at his side. The wapetokeca were men who lived in a woman’s body or women who lived in a man’s body. They were highly respected by the men and women of the Great Sioux Nation." Lakota Journal

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With her Emmy award-winning role as the elegantly wasted Karen Walker on "Will & Grace," the popular television sitcom launched Megan Mullally’s career as a queer icon with a fanatic gay following around the world. The Washington Blade interviewed her about the shows groundbreaking storylines, gay humor, her bisexuality and queer television. "The fact that [Will & Grace] did not create controversy is partly because 'Ellen' had broken some ground already," Mullally says. "Another reason is that gay-bashing is built into the show. So if you’re some truck driver in North Dakota, you get to laugh at the expense of these guys right along with the guys themselves." Washington Blade

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A gang of three men are carrying out sex attacks on men in Glasgow, police warned yesterday, noting at least three men have been attacked and fearing more are too embarrassed to come forward. Two victims were sexually assaulted within hours of each other on the same night. Police have refused to say whether the victims were raped but want any men who have been attacked in the city to get in touch. "We are keeping an open mind about the reasoning behind these attacks but there is definitely a sexual aspect to them.'' The victims were sexually assaulted by all three of the men in two of the assaults. Daily Record

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A British court sentenced David Faulkner to six years in jail after he attacked David Evans believing the transvestite had borrowed his girlfriend's skirt and underwear. Evans said he met Kathy Watson outside Molly David Court and she asked him into her flat. "Faulkner came in and said: 'Who are you?' and he punched me in the face. I picked up my wallet from the table and walked into the corridor. He followed me and grabbed me behind the neck and threatened to kill me. Then he thumped me again in the face. He took £50 from my wallet." ic Southlondon

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Controversial dolls are set to be used to teach primary schoolchildren in Scotland about same-sex relationships. The Lesbian Mothers Scotland group set up the scheme after being given a You and Your Community Award grant from the Millennium Commission to create so-called Persona Dolls. Backers claim that the dolls offer opportunities to discuss issues including racism, gender, disability, health, culture, religious and other equality issues. But Tory education spokesman Kate MacKenzie says, "A lesbian woman or gay man looks exactly the same as a heterosexual. I feel the only way we’re going to get an inclusive society is if we treat people as individuals regardless of whether they’re black, disabled, homosexual or lesbian. By drawing people’s attention to it, you’re saying, ‘these people are different.’ But we’re all minorities in our own way." Edinburgh News


Update: A Queer Day reader writes: "I don't know what your policy with respect to correcting inaccurate stories is, so I'll let you know this one on the off-chance. If it's about reflecting what's in the news source, fair enough. The story in the Edinburgh Evening News is basically inaccurate, in that the project has no relation to Lesbian Mothers Scotland - what happened was that undercover reporters from another paper - the Daily Mail, may they burn in hell - went to a LMS group meeting when the Persona Dolls people were doing a talk to the group. The inaccuracy's got copied from one paper to another. The dolls aren't any gayer than they are Asian, for example - the people actually doing the project are from a variety of backgrounds. And, yeah, one of them's a mate of mine. I do love "A lesbian woman or gay man looks exactly the same as a heterosexual." Sadly, councillors in Edinburgh appear to have a total lack of gaydar."

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Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accused the GOP of allowing the sale of racist and anti-queer T-shirts at the College Republicans National Convention in Washington. The e-mail (posted on Kerry's campaign website) includes a photo of the shirts: One says "No Muslims No Terrorism." Another shows filmmaker Spike Lee, "Bring back the blacklist." A third shows Rosie O'Donnell and her partner, Kelli, with the line "Mr. (?) and Mrs. (?) Rosie O'Donnell." "The divisive slogans and graphic pictures are not to be laughed off as campaign rhetoric; they are racist, anti-gay and violent," Kerry wrote. "I support the First Amendment, and I am using my right to free speech to protest their politics of division." azcentral.com, JohnKerry.com

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Gay rights pioneer Donald Stewart Lucas, who fought for gay equality long before the Stonewall riots, died on Monday at the age of 77 at his home in San Francisco. He died of complications from Parkinson's disease. Lucas has been labeled an "unsung hero" in the gay rights movement, as his groundbreaking work was eclipsed by the relative explosion of gay activism that occurred after the Stonewall riots of 1969. "He was one of the people who helped found the gay and lesbian movement in the United States," lesbian rights pioneer Phyllis Lyon told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He was there in the beginning. Stonewall was not where it all began; it began in California in the 1950s, and he was there." Lucas was a central figure in the homophile movement in the 1950s and '60s and a former leader of the Mattachine Society, one of the first gay rights groups in the United States. In 1964 he helped organize the San Francisco Council on Religion and the Homosexual, the first group to use "homosexual" in its name. Yahoo!

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Opponents of laws extending marriage rights to same-sex couples have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Gray Davis and other state officials opposing their implementation. Campaign for California Families claims AB25 and the Domestic Partner Act, which grant rights to registered domestic partners, violates state voter approved Proposition 22, which confirmed that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in the state of California." A similar lawsuit was filed earlier this week in Sacramento. Randy Thomasson, executive director, said, "They have trashed the vote of the people and perverted the sacred institution of marriage." SGVTribune.com

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Muslim religious leaders have joined Christian and Jewish leaders for the first time in issuing a joint plea for tolerance for queer people. In an open letter written in support of Rowan Williams, the Arch of Canterbury, the group, which includes two s, criticizes incitement to religious hatred and aggressive proselytization as practiced by some fundamentalist evangelical Christians. The joint letter, issued today to coincide with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, calls on believers of all religions to unite in opposition to extremism. It states: "We affirm our resolute support for Dr Williams's endeavours and we rededicate our efforts to fighting fundamentalism, aggressive proselytism and homophobia, and to defending the values of tolerance, inclusiveness and respect for differences which we all cherish." The letter is thought to be the first time that Islamic leaders have spoken out against homophobia. Guardian Unlimited

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The British government is facing a union-backed legal challenge over the pension rights of gay workers. The unions say new equality laws banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, due in December, are not being implemented correctly. A loophole will allow pension schemes to continue offering benefits to married couples only. Religious organizations will also continue to be able to bar gay, lesbian or bisexual people from working for them. So far seven unions, including Amicus, and Unison, have signed up to the legal challenge. They are arguing that not only does the planned UK law misinterpret a European Union directive, but it may also breach the Human Rights Act. BBC

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