News: Martha Stewart, Tel Aviv, Hate Crimes, Oaxaca, Joey Arias

FBI: Anti-gay hate crimes increase 11%.

Joey Arias brings 'Arias with a Twist' to L.A.

Dangerous: Martha Stewart has some strong words for Sarah Palin.

Should PEPFAR money to Uganda be cut off?

Report: 4,000 Anglican priests to join Catholic Church. "Under the Vatican’s initiative, Anglicans, turned off by their own church’s embrace of gay clerics, women priests and blessing of same-sex unions, can join new parishes, called ‘personal ordinariates’, that are headed by former Anglican prelates."

Formed following the passage of Proposition 8, gay rights group celebrates first anniversary in Orange County.

Man attacked after climbing into bear enclosure at zoo in Bern, Switzerland.

Did J Lo fall so people would notice her performance?

Canada border guards seize PG-rated gay films headed for Inside Out Film Festival: "All three movies have been shown in Canada before. Patrik 1.5 is a PG-rated film about a gay couple's foibles adopting a child in Sweden. Clapham Junction is R-rated, but by no means obscene. I Can't Think Straight, the other film seized, is a relatively mainstream movie which had a theatrical release this summer. It stars Lisa Ray."

WATCH: Janet Jackson's new video "Make Me".

Selected entries from National Geographic's International Photography contest.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios on former KC Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, anti-gay slurs, and homophobia in professional sports: "I hope the league moves beyond individual suspensions and instead enacts zero-tolerance policies that start to address the danger of homophobia in sports."

Denver evangelical church opens doors to all.

Nude sunbathing initiative led by gay rights activists rejected in UK.

Stonewall Family: World of Warcraft highlights Gay Guild.

Jude Law does his fitness routine for students at NYU.

Male model fix: Nicholas Lemons.

Oaxacan town holds drag festival: "The annual dance and festival of the muxes celebrates a group of homosexual men who don elaborate makeup and traditional dress to dance and crown a queen, all with the support and excitement of the local community. Zapotec Indian culture in the Juchitan area, 277 km south of the Oaxacan capital, treats male homosexuality with openness."

Health care plan to include prayer?

Carrie Prejean's brother on her sex tapes: "If they were put in front of me I'd probably watch it."

Akron and Summit counties in Ohio mull anti-discimination ordinance protecting gays and lesbians.

Geri Halliwell has a revelation: not all hairdressers are gay.

Tel Aviv evicting gays from public park cruising area: "The new policy is divisive even within the LGBT community itself, as some of its leaders sided with city hall. Yaniv Weizmann, founder of the Proud Youth organization and a city council member, told Haaretz that the park's historic role was over. 'The community has matured,' he said. 'We can walk around in broad daylight in Tel Aviv. Something that was relevant when we were a persecuted and oppressed community is no longer relevant today.' Others see establishment leaders like Weizmann as traitors to the cause."

Pope Welcomes Gay-Hating Anglicans to Catholicism

Pope Benedict sees opportunity in conflict, welcoming gay-hating Anglicans to his Church.

Reuters reports:

"Pope Benedict on Tuesday took a major step to make it easier for disaffected Anglicans who feel their Church has become too liberal to convert to Roman Catholicism. The move comes after years of discontent in some sectors of the 77-million-strong worldwide Anglican community over the ordination of women priests and homosexual bishops...The Vatican said the Pope had approved a document known as an 'Apostolic Constitution' to accept Anglicans who want to join Catholicism, either individually or in groups, while maintaining some of their own traditions. It marks perhaps the clearest and boldest institutional step by the Vatican to welcome disaffected Anglicans into the fold since King Henry VIII broke with Rome and set himself up at the head of the new Church of England in 1534. The new structure allows for the appointment of leaders, usually bishops who will come from the ranks of unmarried former Anglican priests, to oversee communities of former Anglicans who become Catholics and recognize the pope as their leader."

And (fresh from his 700 Club appearance) one-man Catholic League President Bill Donohue, the Pope's biggest mouthpiece in America, penned a guest column for the Washington Post. Some excerpted gems:

— "Sexual libertines, from the Marquis de Sade to radical gay activists, have sought to pervert society by acting out on their own perversions. What motivates them most of all is a pathological hatred of Christianity. They know, deep down, that what they are doing is wrong, and they shudder at the dreaded words, "Thou Shalt Not." But they continue with their death-style anyway."

— "The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State harbor an agenda to smash the last vestiges of Christianity in America. Lying about their real motives, they say their fidelity is to the Constitution. But there is nothing in the Constitution that sanctions the censorship of religious speech. From banning nativity scenes to punishing little kids for painting a picture of Jesus, the zealots give Fidel a good run for his money. Catholics were once the mainstay of the Democratic Party; now the gay activists are in charge. Indeed, practicing Catholics are no longer welcome in leadership roles in the Party: the contempt that pro-life Catholics experience is palpable. The fact that Catholics for Choice, a notoriously anti-Catholic front group funded by the Ford Foundation, has a close relationship with the Democrats says it all."

— "The culture war is up for grabs. The good news is that religious conservatives continue to breed like rabbits, while secular saboteurs have shut down: they're too busy walking their dogs, going to bathhouses and aborting their kids. Time, it seems, is on the side of the angels."

Episcopal Nuns Defect Over Church's Gay Views, Become Catholics

Ten Episcopal nuns from All Saints Sisters of the Poor convent outside Baltimore have joined the Catholic Church because of their former denomination's acceptance of gays and lesbians:

"The ten members of the All Saints Sisters of the Poor, who were received into the Catholic Church by Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, will continue to live with two nuns who decided not to convert at their convent in Catonsville, Md. The community's chaplain, the Rev. Warren Tanghe, also converted on Thursday with the nuns. 'Our archdiocese and our church's mission of caring for the poor are now greatly enriched for having the All Saints Sisters among us,' O'Brien said in a statement. Members of the order had been considering conversion for seven years. Mother Christina Christie, superior of the order, told the Baltimore Sun: 'We were drifting farther apart from the more liberal road the Episcopal Church is traveling. We are now more at home in the Roman Catholic Church.' By allowing gay bishops and blessings for same-sex relationships, the Episcopal Church is 'way off the boat,' Christie said."

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Episcopal Leaders Nominate 3 Gay Clergy for Election to Bishop

The Los Angeles Episcopalian Diocese nominated a gay man and a lesbian among six it put forward for election to Bishop in December, just a month after the Church voted to allow consecration of gay clergy, the L.A. Times reports:

"The nominations of the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool of Baltimore are likely to further inflame theological conservatives in the U.S. church and their global partners in the Anglican Communion, who have repeatedly warned about the repercussions of such action. They are among six nominees who will face election in December for two suffragan bishop positions at the Los Angeles diocese's annual convention. Suffragan bishops assist a diocese's primary bishop. Home to 70,000 Episcopalians across six counties, the diocese is widely regarded as one of the most liberal in the U.S. church of 2.1 million members. Its bishop, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, is an outspoken advocate for the rights of gays in the church. 'I affirm each and every one of these candidates, and I am pleased with the wide diversity they offer this diocese,' Bruno said in a statement Sunday...Sunday's action in Los Angeles came a day after the Diocese of Minnesota nominated three priests for bishop, including a partnered lesbian, the Rev. Bonnie Perry. She is rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chicago and an adjunct professor at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill."

The move is predicted to fuel further division within the split Anglican Church.

News: Chicago, Christian Bale, Jupiter, India, Virginia Foxx, Tanning

India High Court to consider appeal of historic ruling decriminalizing homosexuality: "In taking up the appeal, the highest court is responding to a petition by two private citizens who claimed they were deeply hurt by the judgment 'inasmuch as it seriously affects them and fellow countrymen in all spheres of their lives, personal as well as social.'"

Does Jupiter "take bullets" for Earth?

It's a Saved by the Bell reunion!

Rep. Virginia Foxx's latest ridiculous statement: Obama health care reform will put seniors to death.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd says ban on same-sex marriage will remain: " Rudd said his government's position remained unchanged amid media speculation that he would face a groundswell of support for same-sex marriage at Labor's national conference, due to begin in Sydney on Thursday. 'We are consistent with the policy we took to the last election,' he told public broadcaster ABC."

Chicago's Commission on Human Rights to honor gay veterans.

Johnny Depp disguises himself as squirrel at Comic-Con.

Two openly gay candidates for SF Supervisor say "wait" on Prop 8 ballot measure.

Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza comes out for marriage equality.

Officials place no restrictions on Gay Pride parade in Belfast: "We respect the views of those who are organising the Pride parade and those who wish to express their opposition. Just as with any other parade where there is disagreement the commission believes it is paramount that all concerned treat each other with respect and show tolerance towards the view of wider society. We welcome the assurances we have received in regards to the stewarding of the parade and the general conduct of the participants."

Kissimmee, Florida City Commissioner wants to add "In God We Trust" to city's logo because he thinks it will help rid the nation of unsavory things like gays, abortion, and pot. Otero:
"This nation has been moving toward more liberal postures such as homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion and the legalization of marijuana. I'm against that way of thinking. Those are not the values upon which this nation was founded. I think we need to fight for the values we're losing."

Christian Bale completes his latest unbelievable transformation.

STUDY: Tanning beds as deadly as Arsenic and Mustard Gas.

Is Kelly Clarkson being punished by label bosses for speaking out about the similarity of her song to Beyonce's?

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams sees "two-track" Anglican Church.

Grey's Anatomy says good-bye to Dr. George O'Malley.

OMG interviews Simon Rex about his online pilot.

Chicago's first openly gay alderman Tom Tunney asks if City Hall should set aside business contracts for LGBT-owned companies: "Tunney asked Corporation Counsel Mara Georges whether any other municipality has a 'category' that defines 'LGBT as a qualified minority.' Georges said she knows of no such category anywhere in the United States. But, she didn’t slam the door. 'We are certainly happy to talk to you about it and whether that’s something we should attempt to pursue,' Georges said."

Episcopal Bishops Vote to End Moratorium on Gay Clergy

Bishops at the convention of the Episcopal Church voted Monday to open “any ordained ministry” to gay and lesbian clergy, the NY Times reports:

"The resolution passed on Monday was written in a way that would allow dioceses to consider gay candidates to the episcopacy, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so. A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the church’s other legislative body, the House of Deputies, which is made up of lay people and clergy. On Tuesday, the bishops’ version will likely go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration."

The BBC adds: "The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams - who is head of the 70-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion - said it "remained to be seen" whether the vote by the House of Deputies - made up of clergy and lay people - would be endorsed by the US Episcopal House of Bishops. 'I regret the fact that there is no will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the church in North America,' he added."

Said Integrity USA President Rev. Susan Russell: “There is no question that today’s vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ.”