Germany expands rights of gay and lesbian couples
German lawmakers expanded the rights of same-sex couples today, allowing registered domestic partners to adopt each other's children and making rules on splitting up and alimony similar to those for heterosexual marriages. Parliament's lower house passed the changes drafted by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's center-left government over the objections of opposition conservatives. "This is a good day for gays and lesbians," Green Party lawmaker Volker Beck told his colleagues. "We are making another step on the long road to equal rights."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The original Fab Five, Duran Duran, are back with a comeback tour and a new CD, "Astronaut." Nick Rhodes says, "Someone told us one day that these five queens had stolen our moniker. So we were properly cross with them. Right, we'll getcha." The original five line-up has not worked together in twenty years. Asked whom they would actually choose to have a gay — rumored or otherwise — affair with, Simon LeBon says, "It'd probably (be) with someone quite macho, quite manly, because I’m a big guy myself you see. I don’t see myself having a poodle so to speak. I’d be quite well with Russell Crowe and Antonio Banderas, actually. Yeah. Antonio because I’m blonde and he’s dark." On a more serious same-sex note, the band fully supports gay rights and is happy to speak out in favor of marriage for gay couples. Rhodes says. "It's an institution that's worked appallingly for straight people for a long time, so I don’t see why gay people shouldn’t have some of that."
Bisexual comedian Sandra Bernhard will be the entertainment at this year’s Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition, one of the largest attended Leather/Lev events nationally. During her scheduled appearance in Washington, D.C. on January 6 Bernhard will be performing material from her new show, "Mama's Comin' To Town." And if that wasn't enough, Sandra will also be hitting your television screens come the new year, on "The L-Word." Bernhard recently finished filming her multi-episode role on Showtime's lesbian soap opera.
Internationally-known FtM trans activist and author Jamison Green took time to chat with Between The Lines about trans history on Oct. 11. "I think in popular American culture (trans history) began when Christine Jorgensen stepped off the airplane in 1952. It was front page news all across the country, 'Ex GI becomes blond bombshell.' And that was the beginning of education about transsexual issues ... I think that actually, trans culture has existed since the beginning of time. Trans people have been present in every race, every class, every culture, in every epoch.
Gossip columnist Lloyd Grove reports that RuPaul is having a tough time promoting her new album, "RuPaul Red Hot," and as a result she blasted Us Weekly, Ellen DeGeneres and other members of the mainstream media for allegedly blackballing him. RuPaul apparently accused Us of "all manner of treachery" in an E-mail. RuPaul allegedly wrote, "Us Weekly said they didn't have interest in reviewing my album, but would I consider joining their lineup for [the magazine's feature] FASHION POLICE. No, thank you. That's like telling a black person that they're not welcome at the all-white party, unless they clear the table and wash the dishes."
More than two months after New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey (pictured) said he would resign in the wake of an extramarital gay affair, federal investigators interviewed Golan Cipel, the former aide who was reported to have been the man he had the affair with. FBI spokesman Steve Kodak said two FBI agents interviewed Cipel in his native Israel "at length." It was reported that Cipel, McGreevey's former homeland security adviser, threatened to file a sexual harassment lawsuit unless the governor paid him millions of dollars. Cipel's lawyer, Paul Batista, says the charges are false and Cipel never had a relationship with McGreevey. "Cipel never participated in them and maintains he is as straight as Clint Eastwood."
Jessica Simpson's husband Nick Lachey has been accused of cheating on her with porn star Jessica Jaymes at a stag party for his sound engineer friend Sean Sullivan. Jaymes admitted Lachey had watched her indulge in a lesbian sex show - but denied anything else happened. "I was hired to perform at a bachelor party. And yes, Nick Lachey was there. I did a girl-on-girl show with another porn star, whose name I don't know. The guys are allowed to put money on me, and Nick put some money on me and that's about it. I went home with my bodyguard later that night."
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has spoken out in support of gay marriage before, but now advocates of marriage rights for same-sex couples in Illinois have it in writing. Activists approached the mayor and asked him to sign a petition in favor of gay marriage. Daley signed above a box that is marked indicating, "Yes, I'd like to get involved." Andy Thayer, who collected Daley's signature, said the mayor's support of gay marriage should be a loud statement to Cook County Clerk David Orr. The petition titled "Petition for Marriage Equality in Cook Co. and Illinois," demands the Illinois legislature repeal its ban on same-sex marriages and demands that Cook County immediately issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
A smile spread across Sue Protheroe's face yesterday as, one by one, members of a review committee agreed to keep gay-themed literature in her eighth-grade curriculum. We've told you about how the Solon, Iowa, teacher has been under fire for including the literature in her language arts class. "I've had lots of contacts from gays and parents of gay and lesbian kids, which gives me a lot of strength and is really good. I feel proud," Protheroe said. More than 70 people attended the meeting and students wore buttons that read "Stop Bullying" beneath a rainbow arch and ran to hug Protheroe as she exited the high school media center.
So far so good for transsexual golfer Mianne Bagger. Recently admitted to the women's tour in Europe, Bagger shot a 3 under par toward qualifying for the Robe di Kappa Ladies' European Tour, made a fine start to her campaign yesterday by shooting a three-under-par 69 over the Metaponto course near Bari, Italy. If she finishes in the top 90, she'll move on to the finals. And finally newspapers are beginning to write about her golf game instead of her personal life.
Sorry seems to be the hardest word. Elton John, who, in a vulgarity-laced tirade at the Q Awards, blasted Madonna for what he said was lip-syncing at her shows, says he's ready to apologize to her if he runs into her. The 57-year-old star said the comments came "in the heat of the moment" and after a "very drunken lunch." "It was something that was said in the heat of the moment, and probably should not have been said. Would I apologize to her if I saw her? Yeah, because I don't want to hurt any artist's feelings."
A Minnesota appeals court upheld the dismissal of lesbian Sara Thorson by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, finding that the organization qualified for a religious exemption from the state's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. The unanimous October 19 ruling affirmed a decision by a Minneapolis trial court. Thorson, a closeted 30-year employee of the organization made the mistake of kissing another woman in the parking lot at work. This apparently disqualified her from supervising bulk mail.
Todd Gaspard, 21, and Jody Renaldo, 31, (pictured) 
Howard Goldstein, a Brooklyn man who cross-dresses, was arrested for beating his elderly roommate to death after an argument over the rent. 75-year-old Rahamin "Raymond" Sultan was believed to have been clubbed to death with a baseball bat. Goldstein, who answered the door in heels and make-up, initially told police he hadn't seen his roommate, but cops noticed a foul smell and found Sultan's body in a pool of blood on the living-room floor. Inside Goldstein's locked bedroom cops found walls plastered with pornographic pictures and portraits of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the Lubavitch sect leader. A door was covered with Vietnam War-era clippings, photographs of POWs and leaflets about MIA servicemen. 
Four years ago, when Julia Boseman successfully ran for a seat on the New Hanover Board of Commissioners in North Carolina, she didn't hide that she is a lesbian. Now she's a Democratic candidate for state Senate, looking to oust Woody White, a Wilmington Republican, and in the waning campaign days the Republican Party is focused on Boseman's sexual orientation and what she would push for as a legislator. "Julia Boseman Seeks To Be: The FIRST Openly Gay or Lesbian State Senator in North Carolina History," said one GOP flier sent out early this week. The strategy is backfiring.
Michelle Lynne Kosilek, the transgender convicted killer who strangled wife Cheryl to death in 1990, has filed new court papers to faciliate her stalled prison transition. Kosilek, whose cause has at times been a focal point for disagreement in the trans community, said that "Without judicial intervention, this delay and plaintiff's suffering will continue indefinitely." Two years ago, U.S. District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf found the Department of Corrections failed to properly treat Kosilek who attempted self-castration with a shoestring and suicide. It's obvious she needs the judge ordered help. Her treatment has been precarious at best.
A senior Catholic Bishop, Dr. Willie Walsh, said he has no problem with giving civil recognition to same-sex couples in Ireland. Speaking on the tenth anniversary of his installation in the diocese of Killaloe, Walsh also stated that homosexual orientation is not sinful, but is simply a fact. But wait, there's more. He also went as far as to say that the teachings of the Catholic Church may have promoted homophobia. While not seeing full scale marriage on the radar at all, Walsh would have no difficulties with legislation to acknowledge the civil liberties and protect the partnership rights of gay couples. The Bishop's comments came during an interview on Clare FM.
A couple days ago we told you about the new Scissor Sisters video that John Cameron Mitchell was directing filled with downtown denizens and Charlotte Rae. Well, John Cameron Mitchell sent Mickey Cotrell, a friend of the WOW Report, the uncensored, bound-to-be-banned dirty version of "Filthy" and asked Mickey to send it on to his friends and so they're sending it out to you and so on and so on and so on. Go get a taste of what you won't be seeing on MTV.
Designer Ty Henschke has been named as the fashion guy for the Australian version of "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" and he showed off his style at Australian Fashion Week in Melbourne yesterday. Oddly enough, it was hard not to notice the striking similarity of his hairstyle to that of Carson Kressley, y'know, that feathered toned-down version of the mullet. What was really worrying for future contestants of the upcoming Australian series were some of the questionable fashion combos he put together for his fashion line "Ty + Melita." One poor model had to make her way down the catwalk in a beanie, leopard skin knee-length jumpsuit and purple long socks with high heels.
We told you earlier this month about Australian Idol contestant Anthony Callea announcing that he isn't gay. Myles Wearring writes, "It's no surprise to hear people might mistake Anthony for one of us. He’s ridiculously cute, incredibly clean-cut, wears too much hair product, has manicured eyebrows and is, well, Italian." Anyways, on Sunday's show judges told Callea to appeal more to a gay audience by acting less like a puppy dog and being more masculine, because that's what we gays like. Say what? Then they said a pop musician has only made it once they’ve cracked the gay market - gay community members are the barometers of what's hot.
Maui Republican state Senate challenger Robb Finberg, a pastor for the Christian Fellowship Church, was interviewed by Forrest Bradford, who has what sounds like a wonderful little television show called "Religious Phonies" on cable access. Anyways, after Finberg explained his creationist views of history's timeline and how gays don't actually exist, Bradford asked: "If there was a law that supported the execution of people found guilty of performing homosexual acts, would you support that law?" Finberg's response? "Unfortunately, nearly 300,000 Americans have suffered the death penalty as a result of homosexual activity. Yes, if it were the law of the land. Yes." Thank the stars this moment was captured on video and the video has hit the internet so you too can watch with your mouth hanging open in disbelief. This is actually a very close race. This video needs to be seen.
Fleshbot reports, "Nominations are open for Dreamcaps' third annual awards roundup honoring the best, brightest, and most naked hunks on both the big and small screens. The competition is starting to heat up already in anticipation of the final announcements this coming weekend, but we can already say with certainty that 'Boy Meets Boy's' Dan Wells is untouchable in the 'Best Posterior View Through Shower Door' category." Judging by the photographic evidence we're inclined to agree.
Kris Scott Marti writes that while listening to rock artist L.P.'s new album "Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol," "I could almost see baby dykes jumping around while building a skateboard ramp in their parent’s backyard." One of "the hardest working dykes in rock and roll," the 25 year old's second album is straight forward and L.P. has a voice "that sounds like the love child of Gwen Stefani and Linda Perry." L.P.'s extensive vocal training in both rock and classical opera styles (her mother was an opera singer) creates what amounts to "a house burner." L.P.'s Web Site includes her road blog: "The show got off to a crazy start because I broke a guitar string on my first fucking song and then I played Josh's guitar for a song which felt to me like French-kissing a relative…just not right…and then Tony's amp that I'm using this tour was not really working… probably because Tony treats his equipment like a drunken sailor treats a hooker after being at sea for six months." 
Trinity Broadcasting Network, whose founder Paul Crouch reportedly sought to cover up a gay affair with a former employee, has dropped plans for its live telethon next week. The twice-annual "Praise-a-thons" bring in more than $90 million each in pledges and have been a core source of fundraising for the Orange County-based network for thirty years. Network officials said the decision was made due to health concerns - and they also acknowledged the decision would take the pressure off of guest pastors concerned about the gay controversy. R. Marie Griffith, a Princeton scholar on evangelican Christians and the media, says, "To take the live broadcasting off -- I can't imagine. It suggests a very strong sense of the chaos they are undergoing there."
Hotelier playboy Vikram Chatwal apparently used superstar gay photographer David LaChapelle's name to garner press for his new Dream Hotel in Manhattan's Midtown. LaChapelle, who had agreed to design some of the spaces, pulled out of the project early on. Steven Pranica, LaChapelle’s agent, said, "This is beyond belief. Vikram has been trying to blame everyone and their mother [for using LaChapelle’s name], but it’s really his fault." Chatwal is apparently cleaning the mess up. "We worked it out and everything's fine. I was out of the country while this was going on and what happened was beyond my control."
In Massachusetts, Medford and Somerville residents received a flyer yesterday supporting candidate Vincent Ciampa that came in an envelope saying, "Last year he and his partner disrupted a Catholic Mass. Now he's about to be YOUR state representative!" Who are they talking about? Ciampa's opponent Carl Sciortino (pictured). Inside, voters found a flyer entitled "A Special Report on the Homosexual Lobby's Secret Campaign to Install a Homosexual, Anti-Catholic Extremist in the State Legislature." The pamphlet listed a number of allegations regarding Scioritini's "long record as a militant homosexual activist." In response to criticism the mail campaign organizer Brian Camenker said, "Every time you do something like this, these guys run around and call us bigots and haters and say we're spreading bigotry and hatred. ... it's that same song." We're certaining singing it. We bet you are too.
Euro MPs claimed victory today in their battle over the appointment of anti-gay European commissioner Rocco Buttiglione. They cheered and applauded in the Strasbourg parliament as incoming commission president Jose Manuel Barroso gave up the struggle to appoint the Italian to run EU policies on civil liberties and fundamental rights. He added: "These last days have demonstrated that this parliament, has a vital role to play in the governance of Europe." The current president, Josep Borrell, said both commission and parliament were now "exploring political virgin territory."
In Australia, Canberra's only openly gay or lesbian legislator is well prepared for the potential personal abuse that comes with political office. When Penny Wong arrived in Adelaide from Malaysia at the age of 7, she had to cope with name-calling and racial abuse from the other kids. As a politician she expects a level of personal intrusion while keeping the focus on her work. "Some politicians choose to bring their private lives into the public spotlight. ... That's not how I operate ... I prefer to focus on the issues and have people judge me by the work that I do."
Gay Booker prize winner Alan Hollinghurst says in an interview that he didn't set out to write a novel about sex, but about moral frailty. "The Line of Beauty" is the first "gay novel" to win the Man Booker prize, but the judges say "the fact it was a gay novel did not figure at all in the discussions." The fact has figured heavily everywhere else, as media crow over the amount of same-sex lovin' in Hollinghurst's work. For his part, the author is just "bewildered" that the solitary process of writing a novel could lead to all this hoopla.
Lambda Legal today urged a federal appeals court to grant asylum to a man who faced severe anti-gay persecution in his native Mexico, but was rejected for asylum by an immigration judge who said he didn't seem gay and could hide his sexual orientation to avoid persecution. We've heard that one before. And so has Jorge Soto Vega, a 35-year-old man from Tuxpan who faced harassment and violence from the community and his family from an early age. He was detained and beaten severely by police who threatened to kill him if they saw him again because they wanted to get rid of gay people.
Today, in case you didn't know, is Intersex Awareness Day and we're doing our part to spread awareness. In her early 30s, Betsy Driver learned why she had never felt totally comfortable in her high school locker room. When she was four months old, Driver's doctors removed her entire clitoris because it was unusually large for a baby girl, and, following doctor's orders, her mother never told her. As a teenager, Driver never fully developed breasts and had to undergo a second surgery to reconstruct a vagina that was never there in the first place. Later in life Driver, co-founder of the national intersex peer support network Bodies Like Ours, learned she was born intersexed - an overarching term referring to someone whose apparent sexual anatomy does not match the person's genetic or chromosomal sex. She wants to lift the shame and secrecy. We do too.
Australia's Cleo Bachelor of the Year competition has received formal complaints regarding two of their bachelors, both related to sexuality. Openly gay Brett Humble (pictured) was dropped from the list when Cleo became aware he was a high-profile contestant with his male partner on Channel 9's "The Hothouse." And the Sydney Morning Herald questioned the validity of cabaret singer Hayden Tee's presence given his huge gay fan-base. Humble is filing a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission while Cleo contends that "having a gay bachelor in our line-up would have been quite deceiving for our readers."
South Florida television personality Bill Kamal was arrested this weekend in Fort Pierce as part of a federal investigation into alleged sexual predator activity. Kamal was fired as a result on Monday after ten years as meteorologist at station WSVN Channel 7. Kamal, 47, of Miami Beach, was arrested when he showed up for a scheduled meeting that he had arranged via the Internet with an underaged male. Instead he was met by a detective who arrested him and he's being held at St. Lucie County Jail on state charges. He could face federal charges as well. Last November, the weatherman was arrested in Fort Lauderdale for driving his black Jaguar eratically under the influence of alcohol.
President Bush said in an interview with Charles Gibson, an anchor of "Good Morning America," that he disagreed with the Republican Party platform opposing civil unions of same-sex couples and that the matter should be left up to the states. It's true that Bush has previously said that states should be permitted to allow same-sex unions - even though he flatly would not have endorsed such a thing as governor of Texas. We certainly didn't see this 11th campaign curveball coming, but just to make sure we're all clear, while supporting amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage Bush said that the union of a man and a woman was "the most fundamental institution of civilization." We thinks this is but a ploy. 
Tricia Romano writes for The Village Voice, "It's so perfect that John Cameron Mitchell directed the Scissor Sisters' upcoming video for 'Filthy/Gorgeous.'" The Hedwig and the Angry Inch star placed the band in what Mitchell describes as a "utopian whorehouse" filled with downtown denizens, including the World Famous Bob, G Spot, Mona Foot, Sweetie, Jeffrey Deitch, Dirty Martinia and a handful of Dazzle Dancers. In the video, Ana Matronica and Jacke Shears star as the madame and a hustler, respectively. Drag king Murray Hill plays a john who spanks Shears - and Charlotte Rae, aka Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life, makes a cameo appearance. "She kept saying, 'You boys are gorgeous. Filthy and gorgeous,' as she touched their cheeks like a mom!" reports Murray.
A group of 2,617 women gathered in front of Provincetown Town Hall in Massachusetts and kissed their way into the record books. As part of the 20th Annual Women's Week in P-town the women kissed for twelve seconds beginning at the stroke of noon to set the first record for the largest number of women kissing simultaneously in the Guiness Book of World Records. The kiss-in, organized by Girl Power Productions and the Women Innkeepers of Provincetown, was planned by organizers to celebrate "justice, love, and fun."
In Johannesburg, South Africa, the right side of four-year-old Jandre Botha's head was "a soft, bloody pulp" according to courtroom testimony yesterday. Who was responsible? Jandre's mother, Hanlie Botha (pictured), and her former lesbian lover. Thea de Nysschen, are on trial for murder after allegedly beating and kicking the boy to death last June. Nurse Maria Reeves testified yesterday that the boy's eyes were bloodshot and his entire body was covered in bruises and cuts. In court the two women who were once lovers ignored each other and sat far apart. The women, who denied guilt and every so often burst into tears, claimed the boy had slipped in the bath.