Madonna, who also owns a film company don't you know, wants to make a movie about Rosie Reid, the British lesbian teenager who auctioned her virginity on the internet to pay for college expenses. Maverick Entertainment is working with Reid on a script based on the 18-year-old's experience of receiving approximately $15,000 to have sex for her first time with the highest bidder. Reid of Duwich, South East London, met the winning bidder, a 44-year-old divorced dad of two, at a seedy London hotel for the tryst. It is unknown if Madonna, 45, wants to play the lead role.

Big News

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

On January 16, in the north of France, Sebastien Nouchet, was attacked in his garden by several assailants who had harassed him and his partner for years. This time, however, they doused him with gasoline and turned him into a human torch. Nouchet, 35, was hospitalized in Belgium where he fell into a coma for several months. It's remarkable he pulled through - with severe scars to the face and hands. Now he's helping police track down his assailants, resulting in one arrest so far. French President Jacques Chirac expressed his "deep indignation" of the incident. We've included a moving interview in French with Nouchet as well.

SBS, e-llico interview (Thanks Kevin)

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Joanna Jet, a transsexual porn actress who had a close friendship with snakebite victim Garrick Wales, has told of the "different world" they secretly shared before his death in America. "Our relationship was just between the two of us and his family didn't know anything about it until after his demise." The body of Wales, 48, was found on May 13th behind the wheel of a rented Chevrolet Blazer parked on the perimeter of Little Rock airport in Arkansas. The previous morning he'd visited the Delta Airlines cargo office to collect a box of highly venomous snakes. Jet said she had nothing to do with the snakes, adding: "I have a mini-skirt made of python-skin, but that's as far as it goes."

Scotsman.com

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

The Canadian Anglican Church's top governing body elected an openly gay Vancouver priest as second-in-command for its historic General Synod, at which delegates will hold a contentious vote on whether to allow same-sex blessings. Peter Elliott was elected prolocutor, or chair, of the once-every-three-year convention by a vote of 161 to 116. The prolocutor is, next to the primate, the senior officer of General Synod. An essay by Elliott, in which he comes out publicly as a gay man living in a relationship, was published in the new book, Living Together in the Church: Including Our Differences.

The Gazette

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Police are investigating after someone wrote anti-gay messages on the walls and windows of Liberal Glen Murray's campaign office in Winnipeg. The former mayor of Winnipeg is not commenting on the vandalism, said campaign worker Judy Edmonds. She added his supporters are not letting the incident get them down. Vandals spray-painted the word "fag" twice, on the office's back door and wall. They used a black felt pen to scrawl "Unhonest (sic)," "Liers (sic)" and "I am the devil" on the window. Campaign manager Heather Mack said the act, targeting Canada's first openly gay mayor, is a hate crime and "very upsetting."

CBC

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Men from across South Wales are meeting at a popular family picnic site in Carmarthenshire for sex in broad daylight, according to police. Villagers say they can sometimes see obscene acts from their kitchen windows. "With summer here we have got youngsters cycling about the place," said one resident. "I do not mind anyone being gay but they should not be doing it in public." Police have put up posters at the picnic area in a bid to deter the men but so far it has failed to work.

ic Wales

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Roman Catholic gay-rights supporters wearing rainbow-colored sashes to Mass in Chicago were denied Communion yesterday, while dozens in Minnesota had to walk around protesters to receive the holy sacrament. About 10 people wearing the sashes stood in line to receive Communion at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, but priests refused to give them the Eucharist. One priest shook each person's hand; another made the sign of the cross on their foreheads. "The priest told me you cannot receive Communion if you're wearing a sash, as per the cardinal's direction," said James Luxton, a Chicago member of the Rainbow Sash Movement.

Tucson Citizen

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The grisly death of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo in Newark, California, shortly after her biological sex was discovered shows the danger that transgender women and men face. But when and how someone like Araujo should disclose biological sex to a partner is a thorny issue, therapists and counselors say. Most transgender people, especially those who know their sexual identities at an early age, believe there is nothing to disclose. But straight and gay men, therapists generalize, view partners as genitals first, internal sense of gender second. SF Gate

To illustrate, Dylan Vale writes, "One day, I flirted with someone I assumed to be a gay man, got his number and later went over to his place. He opened the door, and we kissed. A couple of minutes later, I came out to him as transgender. I did it casually. I do not make a big deal out of it, because to me it is not a big deal. It was a big deal to him. ... If we, as humans, decide that proper dating etiquette requires us all to disclose the exact shape and size of our genitalia before we get someone's number, then, sure, maybe I will go along with that." SF Gate

Araujo case brings sexual disclosure up for discussion

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

British soap Coronation Street's gay nurse Karl Foster has been saved from the axe after thousands of fans used the internet to beg TV bosses to let him stay. Actor Chris Finch has been told that he will not be written out of the Street for good despite the shock announcement that his on-screen lover Todd Grimshaw, played by Bruno Langley, is quitting the show. A stunned Chris - who convinced Bruno's onscreen character Todd Grimshaw to be his gay lover, which led to him being kicked out by Todd's pregnant fiancée Sarah Louise - said: "I'm overwhelmed people like the character so much."

Manchester Online

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Fourteen-year-old Stephanie Mae Sol exemplified beauty and intelligence and exuded grace under pressure to become the first ever Miss Teen Philippines this week. How nice. During the question and answer period, when asked what she'd do if her best friend came out as lesbian, she said she'd do her best to help her change, and we don't mean into a swimsuit. The audience wasn't too happy with her answer but the judges liked it.

Manila Times (photo)

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

Amid the flowering bougainvillea, whooshing sprinklers and croaking snapping turtles, it's easy to forget that the Palms of Manasota in Palmetto, Florida, is no ordinary, sun-soaked Florida retirement community. "It's just wonderful to be able to take a walk and hold hands," said Edward Kobee, 69, a burly retired naval weapons systems analyst who moved to the Palms last December from Laurel, Md. His partner of 17 years nodded his agreement. "We didn't want to go back in the closet just to be in a retirement community," said Alfred Usack, 73, a retired CIA analyst.

Washington Post (photo)

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Kansas homophobe Fred Phelps' anti-gay protest was met with a larger counterprotest during Iowa City High School's graduation ceremony this weekend. Phelps said the school was "enabling the gay lifestyle" by awarding a scholarship named for murdered gay student Matthew Shepard. The state-awarded scholarship this year went to Ilse Bendorf. Seventy-five people turned out across the street from the Phelps protest to support Bendorf. Connie Concepcion of Iowa City was part of the counter protest. She said she was there to counter the Westboro, Kansas, church's message. "You can protest, but don't expect us to be silent," Concepcion said.

Sioux City Journal

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

A California criminalist's admission that he gave misleading testimony about crucial evidence has created a new dispute in a 6-year-old double-murder case on the eve of trial. The disclosure could hurt the prosecution of Zach Rutledge, a 28-year-old Monte Rio man accused of the ambush-style killings of a Russian River gay bar owner and another man in 1998. Rutledge could be sentenced to life in prison if he's convicted of killing Hans Grahlmann, 57, and Jason Blore, 26, at Grahlmann's secluded home near Guerneville. Grahlmann owned gay bars and other businesses in Guerneville and San Francisco, and Blore worked for him.

Press Democrat

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Sandy Shiffman was surfing the Internet looking for a vacation package when she came across a statement she says felt like a "slap in the face." The Air Canada Vacations information for the Royal Plantation Spa & Golf Resort said "Sandals Resorts accept heterosexual couples only, 18 years of age and older." "I was absolutely horrified," said Shiffman, who is heterosexual. "Here we are living in a country that has supported gay rights and gay marriage, and you have a blatantly offensive statement like that on the website of our national carrier, right below the Canadian flag," she said. Queer Day has reported cases in which tearful same-sex couples were ousted by Sandals upon arrival, but a spokesman for the chain says, no, no, gay couples would be welcome in Sandals properties if they chose.

Toronto Star

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The composer David Del Tredici has gained notoriety and even faced censorship for the unabashedly gay content of the texts in several of his recent vocal works, which says much about the silly timidity of the concert music scene these days. At a time when sexually explicit dramas on HBO could not be more popular and the Fab Five from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" have become cultural heroes, Del Tredici, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has yet to find presenters willing to perform a recent work he calls "My Favorite Penis Poems."

News Italia Press

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Not even Supergirl, Tinkerbell, a giant pink flamingo or an escape artist in a handmade glider can long defy gravity. But they all tried. Scott Munson of St. Louis, Missouri, won the Provincetown (Massachusetts) Birdman competition by flying farther off MacMillan Wharf than 13 other contestants. You have to see the photo. Anyway, dressed to enthrall, participants hoped to be named the longest leaper - and win round-trip airline tickets on Virgin Atlantic to the International Bognor Birdman Festival on England's south coast. The Massachusetts event raised more than $15,000 for the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project.

Cape Cod Times

Filed in: Gay | LINK

She can't wear heels anymore and needs a magnifying glass to put on makeup. Her dentures pinch her gums, so she wears only the upper plate, except when she's out at night. Stairs kill her knees. As for dancing, forget it. Old age is starting to get to the oldest working drag queen in Key West, Florida. Margo was born David Felstein 67 years ago this month, making her twice as old as many drag queens but not nearly as old as most people think. Her habits - half a century of smoking, tri-weekly visits to the tanning salon and a lifelong aversion to eating - have taken a toll. A recent rumor put her at 86.

SanLuisObispo.com

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

In California, the Long Beach City Council will weigh in tomorrow on gay marriage. Three council members will propose a resolution to oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment citing that the city's diversity, including a large gay and lesbian population, warrants a council position against it. Press Telegram

Today's Short Takes

Filed in: | LINK

The California Supreme Court will issue its most closely watched decision in years when it rules on San Francisco's same-sex marriages sometime in the next three months. But the only real uncertainty is whether the court will tell 4,037 couples that their City Hall weddings were invalid. The justices made it clear during a nationally televised hearing that they believed Mayor Gavin Newsom lacked authority to authorize the marriage licenses in defiance of California's law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. So what will the court say about the marriages performed? One option, they'll be ruled invalid. The other is that the court will decide not to resolve the validity of the unions, at least until the status of the state's marriage law is settled. As far as the city and advocates of same-sex marriage are concerned, the less the court says now about the issue, the better. SF Gate

"We Do: A Celebration of Gay and Lesbian Marriage," a collection of black-and-white photos and text with an introduction by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is out now from Chronicle Books. "We Do" is the brainchild of San Francisco literary agent Amy Rennert and designer Louise Kollenbaum. Partners for 17 years, they were married at City Hall on February 17th. SF Gate

San Francisco Gay Weddings

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

Calling the gay pride march full of those who "sexually assault and sodomize children," posters were found around Jerusalem, Israel, a few days before the parade. Organizers of the parade say it's that attitude that tells them they need to hold a parade. Jerusalem city councilman Sa'ar Netanel said the ideas on the posters were like those who say Jews use the blood of Christians to celebrate Passover. This is the fourth parade held in the capital city and some say it's a preparation for the world gay pride day to be held there next year. Protesters have threatened to throw eggs and tomatoes at parade marchers this year.

Jerusalem Post

Filed in: Gay | LINK

David Pence says he will lead a group today to block those who are wearing a rainbow sash at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although Pence is a layman with no authority in the Catholic church, he says he hopes to be an example of courage to bishops. The archbishop and his staff say it would be disrespectful for people to block Communion, but did not say what they intend to do about the disruption. The Rainbow Sash Alliance in the Twin Cities say they are shocked by the plan but will continue to wear the sash. Pence says Communion has never been open to everyone, and he is not about to let everyone in.

Duluth News Tribune

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

In Ferndale, Michigan, the mayor plans to give his blessing to same-sex unions, without trying to make them legal marriages. Mayor Bob Porter is simply recognizing the commitment the couples have for each other, but the American Family Association of Michigan is complaining that he gives legal sanction to the couples who don't deserve it. This is the second time a Ferndale mayor has blessed same-sex unions, the second time the AFA has complained to the state, and the second time the state attorney general has said as long the mayor does not proclaim them official marriages, there's no harm done.

Detroit News

Filed in: Gay | LINK

On the British version of Big Brother, a discussion on sexuality took an interesting turn, after consuming several glasses of wine. Emma, after hesitating for a moment, said, "I can't do it, I've got my family to think about." Encouraged by the rest of the group that everything would be okay, she came out saying, "Mother, I am bisexual. I've been with a woman.. I think my mum knows anyway, and if she doesn't, she does now. Oh god, my grandma's watching. If I end up with a woman, mum, I end up with a woman and if I end up with a man, I end up with a man." Fellow bisexual contestant Michelle also came clean: "I don't think I could end up in a relationship with a woman, but I've had sexual fantasies about being with a woman and obviously, I've been with a woman."

Digital Spy

Filed in: Bisexual | LINK

It was a fairy-tale Las Vegas high school non-romance. Boy meets girl. Boy has crush on girl. Boy doesn't really make a move, though; he isn't exactly sure why. Boy later realizes he's gay. Girl later realizes she's a lesbian. Boy and girl become close friends, eventual roommates. Welcome to the romantic life of Matthew Polzin. "In high school, I was more physically attracted to men and I knew that, but I didn't associate myself as being gay," he says. "I didn't know what being gay was," he says. It's a telling anecdote that shows how ignorance still lurks in the not-so-far corners of our culture. Since graduating from high school in 2001, Polzin has become a fixture in the gay community and the highly visible face of its youth.

Las Vegas Mercury (photos)

Filed in: Gay | LINK

When Mike Lovely moved to Bend, Oregon, in 1978 with the U.S. Forest Service, there was beautiful skiing, fine fishing and no gay bar. All that is still true today, but just about everything else has changed. Lovely, now 66, retired and in a long-term relationship with his partner, he recalls hearing from a local that all the gays and lesbians in Bend must have emigrated, like him, from California. "I said, 'Well, buckaroo, there are homegrown ones in Oregon, believe it or not,' " he said. The debate in Bend centers on a City Council proposal that would make it illegal to discriminate in housing, employment or public accommodation based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Bend would be the first municipality outside the heavily populated Interstate 5 corridor to adopt such protections.

The Oregonian

Filed in: Gay | LINK

"Boxing Betty" was one of the best fighters Don King ever saw. The promoter met her while she was in jail for manslaughter in the 1960s. "She could have been a world champ," King recalled during his visit to South Africa. He had one particularly amusing tale about Betty, who fought in prison competitions. "Betty, whose pimp was half her size, was once approached in an ungentlemanly manner by a fellow inmate. So Boxing Betty warned him: "Do you want me to slip out of my womanhood and into my [at this point the transgender woman's voice dropped from near-soprano to baritone] manhood and kick your ass?"

Sunday Times

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

Legislators in North Carolina are pushing a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in the state, even though there is already a law prohibiting them. Democrat Rep. Lorene Coates and Republican Rep. Fred Steen II are calling their bill a "defense of marriage" and say they are simply standing up for their beliefs. Afraid of courts who might rule in favor of civil rights, the legislators want to pre-empt any chance of same-sex marriages, claiming they will eventually lead to someone "marrying his dog." The legislators also say the support for the bill has been overwhelming.

Salisbury Post

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Saying that "conservatives don't own the Christian message," some Christian pastors and denominations are taking a stand on gays and lesbians, including same-sex marriage. Pastors like the Rev. Rebecca Kuiken and Pastor Bill Buchhol, who have not wanted to break with their denominations in the past, are realizing that timing is critical. If they don't speak now, conservatives will steal the floor and present Christianity as a backward-leaning religion.

San Jose Mercury News

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The Stonewall Rebellion in New York launched the second--not the first--mass movement for LGBT liberation. The first great wave of struggle to demand sexual and gender emancipation took place from 1869 to 1935 beginning in Germany. The history of the struggle in that period "is rich with lessons." Worker's World

If you're expecting the upcoming MTV owned gay channel "Logo" to have such edgy fare as "The L Word" or "Queer as Folk" you'll be disappointed. Sources say MTV plans to follow a basic cable format while leaving the more explicit gay-themed programs to Showtime. Palm Beach Post

In Ohio, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Robert Glickman upheld Cleveland Heights' domestic partner registry against a challenge brought by a city council member there. We already told you about the other Friday victory in Ohio. With this news it seems there were two. De Novo

The Tennessee Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. The measure will be voted on by the House next week and if approved, needs to be approved again the following year before being sent to the voters. Tennessean

The Gay Men's Chorus of Palm Beach, Florida, will get to perform its "Voices of Pride" show after all. Originally scheduled to perform in a Catholic high school, the local bishop pulled the plug. However, a major performing arts center in the area opened its doors to the chorus.Palm Beach Post

Today's Short Takes

Filed in: | LINK

West Hollywood Mayor John Duran will officiate, joined by the city council and other politicians, and Margaret Cho is presiding over the first mass gay wedding ceremony in the city, symbolically uniting more than 100 people on June 1 at The Abbey. The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles and Pepper MaShay will perform "Amazing Grace." Portions of the ceremony will be live streamed on the internet on the Sundance Channel as part of their June "OUT LOUD" programming.

Market Wire

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research has concluded that the more sex you have, the more happy you will be. More sex ranked higher than more money in making people happy. The study cited that happiest are those people who have sex four times a week and the most gloomy are the ones who are deprived. However, it seems a higher number of sex partners isn't linked with being happy, in fact researchers found the opposite to be true. There was also no statistical difference found in the happiness scores for gay or straight participants in the study. Excuse us while we go get laid.

Times of India

Filed in: Gay | LINK

One of Madonna's recent bodyguards and boyfriends, James Albright, has sued a biographer of Madonna for mislabeling Albright as a gay man. Albright contended that his business has suffered because people may think he's gay. The judge, referencing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer to legalize sodomy and the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages, said that in no way is being called gay a defamatory statement. If it is, it legitimizes the bigotry and prejudice held against the gay community. The judge dismissed the suit, saying Albright had not proved he had suffered any monetary loss or loss of any kind.

Boston Globe

Filed in: Gay | LINK

An Ohio consitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and civil unions may reach the ballots this fall if a petition can get enough signatures. However, a judge has ruled that the state requirement to use a summary of the proposition on the petition is unconstitutional. The summary in question has been called unfair and untruthful by gay rights advocates because it does not tell the full story of what the amendment would ban. The amendment is only two sentences, and the judge felt it unnecessary to summarize it. The petitions with the summary may still be circulated though, because the judge ruled he could not censor their free speech.

Cincinatti Enquirer

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The Rev. Bonnie Sarah Spencer of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Colorado recently celebrated a commitment ceremony with her female partner in the church building. Spencer is assistant rector to Colorado's Episocal Bishop, Rob O'Neill, who has admonished her for "very poor judgment." Although Spencer did not violate church canons, diocesan ethics guidelines or its sexual misconduct policy, she must take a six-week leave of absence for her "potentially divisive" actions. Because the Episcopal Church is currently going through a bit of an upheaval over same-sex unions, Spencer's private ceremony apparently crossed a line.

Denver Post

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

In the basement of a Toronto Metropolitan Community Church, the Triangle Program teaches queer students of various high school ages. For these kids discrimination has proven to be too much, some having been kicked out of their homes, some coming fresh from psychiatric wards. The school gives them a safe place to learn typical high school subjects as well as LBGT history. Almost 250 students have used the facilities since they opened in 1996.

Globe and Mail

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Patrik-Ian Polk, an openly gay black screenwriter/filmmaker, is launching a new sitcom called "Noah's Arc" which will focus on black gay characters, in an attempt to make up for the white-washed "Will and Grace," "Queer as Folk," and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." The show plans on being as sexually explicit and fun as "Sex in the City" and "Queer as Folk," without a single major white character. After attending a Black Gay Pride event in Los Angeles he came up with the idea for the sitcom, which will be available on DVD until a major production company picks up the show. Polk hopes that will happen soon.

Windy City Media Group

Filed in: Gay | LINK

In Arizona, the only Catholic priest who declined to remove his name from a statement affirming the rights of gays and lesbians has been suspended from ministry. The Reverend Andre Boulanger, who is retired, said yesterday that he got word of the suspension in the form of a letter from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. Boulanger was one of nine Phoenix Diocese priests to sign the Phoenix Declaration by the No Longer Silent - Clergy for Justice organization. Seven of the nine pulled their names off the declaration within two weeks of being asked to do so. An eighth finally removed his name this week.

AZ Central

Meanwhile, this Sunday, Catholics who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender will partner with their friends and families in communities worldwide to wear rainbow-colored sashes to Mass. "The sash is a statement saying that we are gay Catholics and part of the Catholic family taking our place at the table at Eucharist," said Brian McNeill, organizer of the Minnesota rainbow sash events. St. Cloud Bishop John Kinney issued a written statement about whether those who publicly profess support of actions or beliefs that go against church teaching should be denied Communion. "I will not allow Holy Communion to be used as a weapon in ongoing political and ideological battles," Kinney wrote. "It is not my intention to reject anyone who comes forward in a respectful manner to receive the body and blood of Christ."St. Cloud Times

The Gays and the Catholics

Filed in: Gay | LINK

David Catania, one of the Austin 12 Log Cabin Republicans who met with President Bush before the 2000 election, has left the D.C. Republican group after losing his seat at the GOP convention this fall. Catania said he would have voted for Bush during the convention, but that he could not vote for him in the general election because of the gay marriage issue. Catania complained about Bush's campaign promises as a compassionate conservative, saying, "You don't hear much anymore about compassion in the White House." Carol Shwarz, the other Republican on the D.C. council resigned in protest of the decision against Catania.

Washington Post

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Victoria's ALSO Foundation are joining forces to create a national campaign in Australia for federal legislative reform, known as the Equal Rights Network. They plan to highlight how parliamentary members vote on gay rights issues and hope to hold people accountable for their votes. Adam Pickvance, the head of ALSO, hopes the network will "reveal the candidates and sitting members for where they stand on issues of basic human rights." They plan to release scorecards on candidates the week before elections in order to help voters make informed decisions.

The Age

Filed in: Gay | LINK

One year after the New Westminster diocese blessed a same-sex union, the governing body of the Canadian Anglican church will discuss sanctioning the unions across the country during their three-year meeting. Since the American bishop, Gene Robinson, was approved, the worldwide Anglican church has sometimes angrily debated the changes. The rest of the Anglican world will watch attentively to see what the Canadian synod decides after several days of debate. A spokesman for the gay Christian lobby group, Integrity said, "God blesses our unions. I hope the church can do the same."

BBC

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

Rosie O'Donnell's new magazine for gay parents will be a rival of a two-year old publication called "And Baby." Published in Brooklyn, the magazine's owners welcome the competition and say it's good for the community and shows advertisers the category of gay parenting is "robust." New York Daily News

Our friends at Fenceberry clued us in on something today. Ever wonder where all the virtually identical anti-gay letters appearing in multiple newspapers are coming from? Coincidence? We think not. Here's at least one source of this spontaneous outpouring. No Gay Marriage

Q Magazine will make its debut in London this fall, hoping to capture an untapped market. The magazine will barely admit to being gay on the cover apparently, and hopes not to be at all offensive. We can't wait to not read it.London Free Press

Today's Short Takes

Filed in: | LINK

"I would be completely surprised if there were any gay staffers in his campaign, at least in the upper echelon," D.C. Council member David Catania says of George W. Bush. "I don't think that we're welcome." It's a factor that Catania said he believes will cost Bush the election, just as Barry Goldwater's dismissal of blacks and the Civil Rights Act in 1964 resulted in a sweeping victory for Lyndon Johnson, he said. Mary Cheney, Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, works as director of vice-presidential operations, but the Bush table otherwise remains devoid of any openly gay advisers. "I’m not going to comment or provide information on the private activities of campaign staff," said Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman.

Washington Blade

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

New York City’s Human Rights Law was amended in April 2002 to broaden the scope of protection from gender discrimination by defining gender to include actual or perceived sex, as well as a person’s gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression. After the bill was signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the commission determined a set of guidelines was needed to implement the law. They created a working group and in May 2003 they gave their recommendations. Over two years after the bill was signed into law, those guidelines have yet to be adopted, leaving transgender people, their employers and others confused about the extent of the law, and unable to accurately interpret it.

New York Blade

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

Police in Belfast today faced accusations of homophobia from a gay man who was beaten up in the city for being gay. Kristian Markus, 26, claimed he faced a wall of resistance from station officers after being battered outside a nightclub. "It's no good devising new strategies for homophobic crime if there are undercurrents within the force itself. Their attitude was just piss off and go home." Markus and his friend were jumped on by a gang of 10 men who taunted them with anti-gay abuse. Markus managed to break free and flag down a police car. Although he identified some of the gang by their clothes, he claims officers told him it wasn't strong enough to make any arrests.

Ireland On-Line

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Alan Blackwell, who was serving a 14-year sentence for raping a 12-year-old girl, was given a life sentence today for another sex attack. Blackwell, a cross-dresser, was jailed in 1997 for dragging the schoolgirl into a lair he had built in the bushes and brutally raping her. Today, Judge Maurice Carr sentenced the 48-year-old to life imprisonment with a recommendation of no parole until 2009 for the attempted rape of a 21-year-old woman in 1994. Blackwell, who has an IQ of less than 70, told police he simulated sexual intercourse with a railway sleeper while living out a fantasy dressed as a woman.

Scotsman.com

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

Australian Federal Liberal MP Trish Worth has claimed support from six colleagues in her stand against the Howard government's moves to outlaw gay marriages. Worth said yesterday she was horrified by the government's timing in foreshadowing the ban at the same time as liberalizing superannuation access to gay partners. While she believed gay marriage was "pretty unnecessary", she believes the government's timing in trying to amend the Marriage Act to define marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union made it look "anti-gay." We're inclined to agree.

The Australian

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The Kansas Supreme Court Thursday agreed yesterday to hear an appeal in the case of Matthew Limon, a gay developmentally disabled teenager who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for consensual sex. Limon is appealing the sentence he received shortly after turning 18. While he was a resident at a private school for developmentally disabled youth he performed consensual oral sex on another teenager. Limon would have served a maximum of 15 months in jail under Kansas law had the other teenager been female.  But because the state's "Romeo and Juliet" law applies only to heterosexuals, Limon was convicted using the state sodomy law.

365gay

Filed in: Gay | LINK

Authorities in south-west France have told a mayor not to go ahead with plans for the country's first gay marriage. Noel Mamere, mayor of the Bordeaux town of Begles and a leading member of parliament for the Green Party, had said he would conduct the marriage. But the public prosecutor of Bordeaux has declared his opposition and ordered Mamere to abandon his plans. The marriage of Bertrand Charpentier and Stephane Chapin scheduled for June 5 appears to have been placed on hold. BBC

Although Bertrand de Loze gave formal notice that the marriage will be declared null and void a day after the bans for the wedding were posted, Mayor Mamere insisted he'll that see his plans through to their conclusion. "The initiative is a political one," he said, arguing that the law needed to change to take account of society's growing demands for equality. Expatica

Gay Marriage in France

Filed in: Gay | LINK

The offices of Toronto-based Tapestry Pictures were trashed earlier this week, and the producers fear the vandalism is linked to its coming, controversial film, Prom Queen. In recent weeks, pro-family and anti-gay support groups have been using the Internet to denounce the made-for-TV movie, slated to air on CTV on June 1, about the so-called "Cinderfella," the media nickname for Marc Hall, a teen from Oshawa, Ontario, who won the right in 2002 to bring his boyfriend to a Catholic school dance.

Globe and Mail

Filed in: Gay | LINK

To the cheers of a delighted crowd, Joazinho Moraes and Alcindo Sandini exchanged gold rings and cut their white wedding cake inside their beauty salon across the street from the Roman Catholic cathedral in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A day earlier, the two men sealed their commitment by signing papers before a justice of the peace, becoming the latest gay couple to get hitched in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's first state to permit civil unions between same-sex couples. Now it was time to party with champagne and hors d'oeuvres, a celebration that symbolizes one of the biggest gains for gay rights in Latin America.

CBS 2

Filed in: Gay | LINK