News: NOM, Neil Patrick Harris, New Zealand, Chris Brown

INFO: Demonstration tonight at Arizona capitol against anti-gay bill.

Supreme Court asked to review California ban on gay conversion therapy for minors.

It's Katy Perry's full Cleopatra video for "Dark Horse".

New Zealand tops global index for inclusion of LGBT soldiers: "The LGBT Military Index assesses admittance, tolerance, exclusion or persecution of homosexual people to measure 103 armies worldwide, the Hague-based Centre for Strategic Studies think-tank said. New Zealand topped the index and the Netherlands and UK ranked joint second with Sweden coming in fourth. The US, at 40th, ranked below Romania. Nigeria came last in the survey."

Neil Patrick Harris prepares for Hedwig: “It’s hard to play the role, unless you know how to take the room for a ride,” Mr. Mitchell said of Hedwig. “Neil’s also someone who is trusted by people from the heartland. He can seduce with humor, with his American-sweetheart image, which has something much more complicated below the surface.”

Christina Aguilera pregnant.

50 major companies that are worth less than WhatsApp.

Obama is done even pretending to work with Republicans.

Beast: How Kenneth Walsh achieved his NY dream.

Judge in second Virginia marriage case assessing how to proceed: "Judge Michael F. Urbanski is pondering whether Harris v. Rainey, filed in August by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia on behalf of two same-sex couples from Shenandoah, should move forward in light of the Norfolk judge’s decision in Bostic v. Rainey, or whether he should stay the case pending a decision in the Norfolk case by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."

Tennessee bill allowing businesses to discriminate against gays is dead: "The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville was withdrawn from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday."

Seattle gay nightclub arson suspect may be planning terrorist activity, says 'friend'. "According to investigative documents filed in King County Superior Court, the 30-year old Masmari told a friend 'that homosexuals should be exterminated.'  That friend, a member of the local Muslim community, went straight to the FBI because he believed Masmari may have also been planning a terrorist attack. That friend became a confidential informant."

Report: Facebook tweaked news algorithm at Buzzfeed's request.

Pink to perform at the Oscars.

VIDEO: Bradley Cooper shows off his raccoon skillz.

NOM gives up on Indiana marriage amendment, will focus on holding legislators accountable instead.

WaPo: Six attorneys general won't defend their own state's gay marriage bans.

Chris Brown sued over homophobic beatdown last October: "Adams is suing both Brown and Christopher Hollosy -- Brown's bodyguard.  Adams wants $1 million from each of them for his injuries, and another $500K from each for punitive damages, to teach them a lesson."

Lambda Legal files federal lawsuit against Louisiana insurers for dumping people with HIV. Scott Schoettes: "The situation is urgent. Refusing federal funds that provide life-saving care to people living with HIV could potentially affect thousands of low-income Louisiana residents. This discriminatory policy keeps low-income people living with HIV off of BlueCross BlueShield’s insurance rolls, perpetuating the deliberate insurance industry practice of denying coverage to those living with HIV that the Affordable Care Act was designed to reverse. Continuous coverage is critical for people living with HIV.  The health care crisis these insurers have created must be stopped."

New Zealand Rugby Players Show Some Attitude in Jockey Underwear Photo Shoot: VIDEO

A behind the scenes video of New Zealand’s national rugby team All Blacks teaming up with new sponsor Jockey underwear.

Check out the players' antics and impressive physiques, AFTER THE JUMP...

  

Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis Worried Michael Sam Might 'Pat Somebody on the Butt'

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis spoke with ESPN radio on Tuesday and had something ridiculous to say about Michael Sam joining the NFL.

Said Ellis:

"If he pats somebody on the butt — I hope ESPN don’t get mad and never have me back — but if he pats somebody on the butt, how is that to be received? If he does that how is that to be received? If he said, ‘Come on baby’? I called guys baby all the time on the football field, but when you have taken a stand and went and go public and say that, ‘I am gay,’ how is that going to be received? I’ve seen guys, I had guys on the Dallas Cowboys football team — I won’t mention names — who did not want you to pat them on their butt. So God forbid if you pat one of those guys on the butt it’s going to be a major problem.”

And not surprisingly, Ellis would have been worried Sam might check him out in the shower. Asked if having an openly gay player on the team would have made him uncomfortable, Ellis replied:

“I would. I would. People who’ve never been in an NFL shower room, not just locker room, it’s a open room. We don’t have private curtains. It’s just an open-form shower, so everybody sees each in the nude. Well if you’re looking at men as if you’re looking at women or vice versa, how are those guys to receive that? I don’t know. I don’t know how they will receive that. But I do know it would be a situation where I would go to the coach and try to work something out to say, ‘Obviously this is going to be a problem. What can we do? The kid can help us play, can help us win football games. We need him on the team. But this situation right here, we need to do something.’ ”

(transcript via Dallas Morning News)

Edward Snowden Applauds Chelsea Manning’s 'Extraordinary Act of Public Service' - VIDEO

In a speech delivered via video to the Oxford Union Society, Edward Snowden commended fellow whistleblower Chelsea Manning for her “extraordinary act of public service” at “an unbelievable personal cost” 

The speech was given in honor of Manning’s recent selection as the recipient of the Sam Adams Award for Integrity and Intelligence for "casting much-needed daylight on the true toll and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq; human rights abuses by U.S. and "coalition" forces, mercenaries, and contractors; and the roles that spying and bribery play in international diplomacy."  She is currently serving a 35-year sentence for her role in leaking the largest set classified documents in U.S. history. 

Snowden, who was last year’s recipient of the award, also spoke out against the government’s “over-classification” of documents that should be considered public record. 

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

[via Jezebel]

 

Gay Couples Can Marry Right Now in Chicago, Cook County

A federal judge in Chicago ruled on Friday that gay couples do not have to wait until June to marry in Cook County, the Chicago Tribune reports:

"There is no reason to delay further when no opposition has been presented to this Court and committed gay and lesbian couples have already suffered from the denial of their fundamental right to marry,” U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman stated.

Her ruling noted that Cook County Clerk David Orr filed a brief in support of the lawsuit, which argued that couples should not have to wait until the Illinois law went into effect on June 1.

Orr released a statement after the ruling saying he will begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses "immediately."

The downtown Bureau of Vital Records, in the lower level of the Daley Center, will be open an extra two hours tonight until 7 p.m.for gay couples who want to get marriage licenses after work.

Gay Couple Files Federal Suit in Ohio After Being Denied Coverage Under Obamacare

Earlier this week a gay couple in Ohio filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government and state of Ohio after being denied coverage under Obamacare, Reuters reports:

The plaintiffs, Alfred Cowger and Anthony Wesley of Gates Mills, Ohio, have been together since 1986 and were married in New York state in 2012, six years after adopting a daughter, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Ohio...

...After initially being unable to enroll in Obamacare because of glitches involving the troubled rollout of the healthcare.gov website, they said in the suit that they were assured by Anthem they could remain under its policy after December 2013, although premiums would increase by about 20 percent.

But in November, according to the suit, Cowger said he received a letter from Anthem stating their policy "was to be terminated because it was not in compliance with the ACA."

A new family policy with Anthem would cost about twice their existing one, or about half the family's joint income, and not be eligible for tax credits under Obamacare.

Full story here.