Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson Talks to Matt Lauer

Gene Robinson appeared on the Today show and spoke briefly with Matt Lauer about misinterpretations of the Bible and homosexuality, his disinvitation from the Lambeth conference and his plans to attend, the rift in the church, his plans to enter into a civil union, and the difficult time he had his partner and their two daughters (pictured) have gone through.

Said Robinson about why he wears a bulletproof vest: "When you try to love the world the way that God loves the world, you're going to get into trouble."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Gene Robinson Believes 'God Disappointed' with Anglican Archbishop

In an interview to be broadcast on the BBC news program Hardtalk, gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson criticizes Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for failing to confront anti-gay critics in the church, specifically, Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, whose stance against homosexuality has been seen as a major cause of the rift within the church.

"I believe [Dr Williams'] unwillingness to confront Peter Akinola and others like him who've made statements that I think any reasonable person would find over the edge - I believe God is very disappointed in that."

Akinola is seen as a force in perpetuating violence against gays and lesbians. Robinson, who plans to attend events around this summer's Lambeth Conference even though he was not invited, has been speaking out about death threats against him and tells the BBC that he sometimes wears a bulletproof vest at public appearances.

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Gay Bishop Gene Robinson Speaks Out About Threats, Purpose

Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson told the BBC that there have been plenty of physical threats against him since he took his position in New Hampshire.

"I'll be coming to the Lambeth Conference, and there have already been threats against me and others...This has been going on ever since I was elected Bishop of New Hampshire, and I have to take them seriously. Certainly the authorities take them seriously."

Robinson is in the UK promoting his new 'spiritual memoir' In the Eye of the Storm. He tells the Telegraph:

"Jesus never says anything about homosexuality, but he says a lot about treating every person with dignity and respect. All the biblical appeals for a particular attitude to homosexuality can never quote Jesus...The Church isn't the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Only God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Church has always been changing. The Holy Spirit is leading us into truth. And I believe we have learnt that about people of colour, about women, about those who are disabled and now about lesbian and gay people."

Robinson says that he sees all the attention he gets as a kind of duty:

"Occasionally I don't like the probing and the questioning. But I put up with it because I grew up in a time when there were no role models. To be gay and lesbian was to be a failure. The good gay people killed themselves. And the others were drug addicts and bums. There was no possibility for a life of integrity or respect. So I feel called to be as open as I can be about my life so that young lesbians and gay men will understand that they can have wonderful relationships, be mothers and fathers and make a real distinction for themselves in their careers. I owe it to those who come after me."

Gene Robinson: 'It is a sin to treat me this way' [telegraph]
Gay US Anglican bishop speaks of physical threats against him [afp]

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Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's Civil Union Set for June

The NYT reports on the upcoming nuptials of Gene Robinson to his partner of 20 years.

Says Robinson: "We could have, I suppose, just gone to the town clerk and had that signed, but, you know, I’m a religious person, and every major event in my life has been marked with some kind of liturgy and giving thanks to God. My hope, is that even some of the more negative bishops will be encouraged by the American participants to come with them and to see that I don’t have horns, or I don’t wear a dress or I don’t fit any of the stereotypes that are often held by people who don’t really know gay people, and in fact will see how normal I am, and to hear about the incredibly normal life I have as a bishop in my diocese."

Robinson has been in the headlines recently because of his snub from the annual Anglican Lambeth conference, for which he says he'll be providing an alternate program, with Sir Ian McKellen as his star attraction.

Gay Bishop Plans His Civil Union Rite [nyt]

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Sir Ian McKellen to Battle for Openly Gay Bishop Gene Robinson

Last week I reported that although openly gay Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson has been shut out of the Anglicans' annual Lambeth Conference, he would still be attending and had signed up Sir Ian McKellen to help create a stir.

The Telegraph has more details about what that event will be:

"In an act of solidarity with the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the Church's first openly homosexual bishop, the celebrated actor intends to read out a sermon written by the prelate, who has been barred from the landmark Lambeth Conference this summer that is seeking to prevent a schism over the issue. Standing alongside the bishop, who will remain silent throughout, the star of The Lord of the Rings will deliver a broadside against the Church's attitude to homosexuals with the kind of passion and force normally reserved for his performances on the stage."

We can't wait.

Last week...
Ian McKellen to Join Gay Bishop Gene Robinson at Anglican Confab [tr]

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Ian McKellen to Join Gay Bishop Gene Robinson at Anglican Confab

Openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson tells The Guardian: "I wish people could see me for a bishop. It is tiring, I must say. On the one hand I would like to be known as Bishop Gene Robinson but it's an accident of history that I'm the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican communion. I've learned to live with that."

The paper reports that although Robinson has been shut out of the annual Anglican Lambeth conference, he's still going and will likely be the conference's star attraction. Robinson has events planned, one of which is a reading by Sir Ian McKellen.

Robinson, whose openness about his sexuality has divided the Anglican church, is the only bishop out of 880 to be disinvited from the conference.

"His official exclusion came as a blow to Robinson, who told a spring gathering of the US Episcopal church house of bishops that he felt abandoned by Williams. He wept during the address. "It was the hardest time I've had since my consecration," he said, driving along interstate 93. He suggested it was not his consecration or homosexuality that was tearing apart the Anglican communion, but a failure of the leadership. 'I don't know if it was Rowan's intention to divide the US house of bishops but he's done the very thing he was trying to avoid through his action or lack of action. It mystifies me that he has never commented on statements Akinola [the Archbishop of Nigeria] has made about homosexuality,' he said."

Robinson is publishing a book this summer called In the Eye of the Storm and says that he's also going to be in GQ: "I am probably the only bishop to feature in a 10,000-word article. I was expecting Armani and George Clooney but they wanted me to wear my robes."

Gay bishop's mission to unite [the guardian]

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News: Rick Astley, Zimbabwe, Fat Joe, David Cook, Karl Lagerfeld

Zimbabwe: Intelligence officers for the government of Robert Mugabe force opposition supporters to take down their posters and eat them. "Amnesty International cited a case on March 7, when three members of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were ordered by intelligence officers to take down election posters. According to Amnesty, the officials forced the opposition supporters to chew the posters and swallow them."

Fat Joe and Suge White mock fellow hip-hop artists 50 Cent and G-Unit with 'Gay-Unit' mix tape: "Featuring a Photoshoped image of 50, Yayo and Banks tightly embraced, all three rappers are portrayed with smeared lipstick on the face, as Yayo was tattooed with a "I Miss Jail" on his right shoulder and Banks sporting a portrait of Curtis on his left shoulder with 'Delicious' tagged under." (image via Rod 2.0)

American Idol: Is David Cook an 'original', or just a really good cover artist?

University of Pittsburgh study: LGB youth report higher rates of drug and alcohol use. "The odds of substance use for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth are on average 190 percent higher than for heterosexual youth...What's more, for some sub-populations of LGB youth, the odds were substantially higher, including 340 percent for bisexual youth and 400 percent for lesbians, researchers found. 'Homophobia, discrimination and victimization are largely what are responsible for these substance use disparities in young gay people,' said Michael P. Marshal, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, who led the study. 'History shows that when marginalized groups are oppressed and do not have equal opportunities and equal rights, they suffer. Our results show that gay youth are clearly no exception.'"

The second coming of Rick Astley: the "Never Gonna Give you Up" singer talks about the RickRoll.

Apparently they are remaking the 70's kids TV show Land of the Lost at the La Brea Tar Pits, but I don't know how you can ever replicate the wonderfully bad fake dinos and the Sleestaks...

Ellen Degeneres top television host in new poll.

'Domestic partnership' to become 'mutual commitment' in Salt Lake City? "Some legislators argued that the term 'domestic partnership,' at least in spirit, violated Utah's constitutional Amendment No. 3, which bans same-sex marriage and substantially similar civil unions. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker said Tuesday he will recommend to the City Council that the name be changed to the mutual commitment registry. The City Council likely will consider the recommendation at its April 1 meeting. If approved, the registry could be up and running as soon as April 7."

Ronald Haines, Episcopal Bishop who ordained lesbian in 1991, dies in Pennsylvania.

Karl Lagerfeld the subject of new documentary: "The film is Lagerfeld Gone Wild, with delights such as Lagerfeld discussing how gay people suck nowadays because they no longer outrage 'bourgeois social norms' and why prostitution should be legal. He's full of opinions."

Mario Lopez hawks abtastic new fitness book.

Vienna LGBT group announces poster competition to raise awareness about homophobia in football: "With the European championships to be held in Austria and Switzerland this summer, Qwien said it wanted to draw attention to homophobia in football. 'By launching a Europe-wide poster competition, we will make an otherwise taboo topic public' during the championships, it said. Posters had to be submitted by the end of May. The best 50 would be selected and then a jury - including Icelandic film director Robert Douglas, Life Ball organiser Gery Keszler, the president of Hamburg's FC St. Pauli football club Corny Littmann, pop singer Jimmy Somerville and Tanja Walther of the the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation - would pick the best three. The winner would be announced on June 4. The 50 best posters would be displayed "at a public venue" during the championship itself, which runs from June 7-29." (official site)

More gay looks for Jay Leno.

L.A.'s first openly gay police officer seeks new trial in discrimination suit: "Former Sgt. Mitchell Grobeson wants a rehearing of a discrimination suit that sought up to $4.4 million in damages. A jury ruled for the city last year. A Superior Court judge on Tuesday took under submission Grobeson's motions for a new trial and reinstatement to the LAPD. Grobeson did two stints with the LAPD in the 1980s and 1990s before retiring on a psychological disability. The LAPD settled a previous suit by Grobeson in 1993 by promising to improve its hiring and training of gay officers."

Remember Aquaman? Alan Ritchson a superhero again.

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The Late Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. Remembered

Yesterday I posted about an article in The New Yorker about the late Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. written by the bishop's daughter. You can now read the touching remembrance by Honor Moore in its entirety online. Here's an excerpt:

"Early in the winter of 1986, I went to an AIDS memorial service at the cathedral. It was a requiem, and as part of the liturgy the names of the dead were recited, a process that took more than an hour. As I listened, I heard the names of friends, actors and poets and artists I had known, and then my father preached. In his crimson chimere and white rochet, he climbed the pulpit and began. It was a sermon about sexual freedom, about the lives these dead men had lived, about the presence of Christ’s sacrifice in human suffering. This was not a new subject for him, but I had never heard him so fierce, so passionate, so loving. What came to me was this: Here is where I can come to find my father’s love. There is, I told myself, magnificence in how he can give, opening his long arms, practically weeping on behalf of these men, dead of a plague; here is where I can come to be close to my father."

The Bishop’s Daughter [the new yorker]

Previously
Late Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore Jr's Daughter Reveals He Was Gay [tr]

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Late Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore Jr's Daughter Reveals He Was Gay

Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore Jr., who died in 2003 and was the Bishop of New York for 17 years, had a secret. He was gay.

In next week's issue of The New Yorker, Moore's daughter writes about his service to the church, and his private life. While the full article is not online yet, the New Yorker has published an audio excerpt of the piece read by Honor Moore.

Page Six reports: "His daughter, Honor Moore, the eldest of nine children he had with his first wife, Jenny McKean, writes that six months after his death, 'the telephone rang. [The caller] had a confident voice. Andrew Verver (as I'll call him) was the only person in my father's will whose name was unfamiliar.' When Honor asked 'Verver,' who had traveled with Moore to the Greek island of Patmos the summer before, about her father's sexual life, he replied, 'I was his sexual life,' and, 'Of course, there were other men.' Then, Honor describes bringing 'Verver' on a touching visit to Moore's grave in Connecticut."

Moore, who made the cover of Newsweek in its 1972 issue published on Christmas, was the first Episcopal bishop to appoint an openly lesbian priest in the church.

Following his death, Mark Oppenheimer wrote in the New York Times: "With the death this year of Paul Moore Jr., the Episcopal bishop of New York from 1972 to 1989, America lost one of its last dashingly handsome, abundantly sexual WASP crusaders for social justice. Like his contemporary John Lindsay, the mayor of New York and a fellow alumnus of St. Paul's and Yale, Moore chose to put his social connections and magnetic charm in the service of the kind of people he was raised not to think much about: the poor, blacks, those on the margins of society."

Confessions [the new yorker]

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Iran's 'cure' for homosexuality: financial assistance for a sex change operation. Cleric: "Islam has a cure for people suffering from this problem. If they want to change their gender, the path is open."

Jane Russell shows Hollywood how a real movie star works Oscar's red carpet.

Singer-songwriter Ne-Yo may not be gay, but he is fast.

Elton John talks to CBS about his AIDS Foundation and recent reports that cases among young gay men are on the rise: "We are facing an uphill battle again in countries that you thought you'd crossed, you'd done that, you've covered that territory. Because people think, 'Well, you know, even if I do get HIV, I'm going to be OK.' They don't realize the toxicity of the drugs they have to take. And I just think it's so reprehensible, with the information available to them. But they do it and so we have to help them."

Da-Tah: a Scissor Sisters mash-up album, free for download. (via arjan writes)

Gay couple told to cool the PDA at swank New York restaurant Cipriani? "A gay editor was dining with another young man recently when a Cipriani staffer asked the duo to turn and face the bar. The waiter conveyed to them that Cipriani is a 'family restaurant' and they might offend other diners. The restaurant contends their actions were less gay bashing and more preserving the sanctity of fine dining from what one witness called 'blatant crotch-grabbing.' 'There was an unfortunate incident a few weeks ago where two individuals were acting inappropriately in a sexual manner at the bar of an upscale restaurant. It should go without saying that this behavior is completely unacceptable for anyone, regardless of sexual orientation,' a spokesman for the restaurant asserts."

That other awards show, The Independent Spirit Awards, was a touch less formal than the Oscars.

The Miami Herald talks to Gay American Heroes project founder Scott Hall.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams backing secret plans to create "parallel" church for American conservatives defecting over the church's gay policy: "According to insiders, Dr Williams has given his blessing to the plans to create an enclave for up to 20 conservative American bishops that would insulate them from their liberal colleagues. The scheme would allow them to remain technically within the Episcopal Church but under the care of like-minded archbishops from abroad. The Primate of the West Indies, Archbishop Drexel Gomez, a moderate conservative, has agreed to participate, and other primates could be recruited. However, the initiative is likely to infuriate liberal leaders of the Episcopal Church, who will see it as an attempt to undermine their authority and interfere in their affairs."

Pastor Ken Hutcherson's hate sermon: "If I was in a drugstore and some guy opened the door for me, I’d rip his arm off and beat him with the wet end."

Wolverine shows off his washboard abs.

AfterElton talks to Michael K. Williams about Omar and the developments surrounding his character on last night's episode of The Wire [SPOILERS].

Novelist Scott Heim talks to the Boston Globe about his new book We Disappear and his escape from crystal meth addiction: "The drug didn't do anything for me anymore. It was just keeping me alive. It wasn't about pleasure; it was just obliterating the sadness. You don't write when you're on drugs because the last thing you want is to be alone. Crystal meth was erasing me, and the deeper I got I saw only three outcomes: death, prison, or recovery."

First look inside London Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5.

Brit tabloid News of the World charges Diana butler Paul Burrell of leading 'secret gay life': "Paul IS a greedy liar, a devious snake. He's also ruthless and selfish. He's always made out that he's this happily-married family man when in reality he's gay and only interested in sex with men. He told me he hadn't slept with Maria for years. He's constantly on the lookout for gay pick-ups all over the world. And he shamelessly uses his back catalogue of Diana stories to hook his targets. He tells them all sorts about her to get them in the sack. His taste is for pretty, younger guys. He'll brag about his wealth and royal connections. There are plenty out there who fall for it."

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News: Karen Carpenter, Egypt, Jason Rae, Tuxedos, Michelle Obama

The Advocate talks to Jason Rae, at 21 the nation's youngest superdelegate: "I have not yet come out to my parents. I’m realizing that tonight I may just want to call them and talk to them. I’ve been waiting for the right moment, and now just might happen to be that right moment."

Karen Carpenter's home in Downey, California soon to be in the path of the wrecking ball? Fan: "This house is our version of Graceland. When they photographed the 'Now & Then' cover here in 1973, the house was instantly immortalized."

HIV arrests widen in Egypt: "The latest arrests took place after police followed up information coerced from men already detained, HRW said. The Egyptian interior ministry has not responded to the allegations. In a joint press release, Amnesty International and HRW warned that Egypt's efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus could be seriously damaged by the arrests. 'This not only violates the most basic rights of people living with HIV. It also threatens public health, by making it dangerous for anyone to seek information about HIV prevention or treatment,' said Rebecca Schleifer, who works on HIV/Aids issues at HRW."

Beef recall: 143 million pounds. "'Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall,' Schafer said in a statement. A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned. Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video from the Humane Society of the United States surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts." Here's the video. Warning: images are extremely disturbing.

Lindsay Lohan recreates Marilyn Monroe's nude "last sitting" for New York magazine. (warning: NSFW)

Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law will all take over in Heath Ledger's final role.

Jake Gyllenhaal steps out of seclusion.

ABC picks up spec comedy from Will & Grace creators Kohan and Mutchnick: "The untitled sitcom follows two men — one straight, one gay — who are lifelong best friends and business partners. The pair have to balance their relationship when they each find romantic partners at the same time. This show is probably loosely (but likely) based off of the longtime friendship and working relationship between Kohan, who’s straight, and Mutchnick, who’s gay."

Washington House passes measure expanding benefits to domestic partners: "The measure adds domestic partners to sections of laws where previously only spouses were mentioned, including areas referring to probate and trusts, community-property and homestead exemptions, and guardianship and powers of attorney. The underlying domestic-partnership law, passed last year, already provides hospital-visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will."

Fleshbot liveblogs the GayVN (adult film) awards at the Giftcenter in San Francisco. (warning: site NSFW

UK arsonist sentenced to 10 years for lighting gay couple's home on fire as they slept: "Sonny Lockwood, 20, targeted his victims, Nicholas Hughes and Peter Cameron at their home in North Downs Crescent, New Addington, in retaliation to the pair testifying against him at an earlier Asbo hearing."

Newsweek: Who is Michelle Obama?

Oscar Men's Fashion Watch: "Fashion is reaching back to the classic look of old Hollywood and giving it a modern, sexy twist. Thanks to designs like Dior Homme's with its skinny cut, men look slimmer in luxury fabrics such as lightweight wool. This year, expect to see '60s-inspired velvet dinner jackets in rich purples or blues. There will be vests and regular ties instead of bow ties."

Five Anglican leaders to boycott once-a-decade world Anglican summit because the Episcopal church ordained a gay bishop: "Friday's announcement came from Archbishops Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Henry Orombi of Uganda and Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone, which is in South America. 'There is no serious space for those of an orthodox persuasion ... to be themselves or to be taken seriously,' the archbishops said in a statement. They lead some of the largest or fastest-growing Anglican provinces in the world. 'The gathering will be diminished by their absence, and I imagine that they themselves will miss a gift they might have otherwise received' by attending, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said."

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Mob of 20 attacks two gay men in Jamaica: "After days of harassment and threats, a Jamaican mob attacked two gay men, putting one in the hospital with serious injuries, while the other is missing...The group broke into the home of the men and attacked them, authorities told The Associated Press. One man had his left ear severed, his arm broken in two places and his spine possibly damaged; the other man, who was chased from their home, has not been found, according to the report."

Welcome to the just-opened Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool: "The four-star, 110 room Beatle themed hotel opens its doors to the public... and is only a stone's throw away from the site of the famous Cavern Club."

Gay rights activist and psychotherapist Myra Riddell dies at 81.

This is why the Spice Girls tour is ending.

Anti-gay graffiti found in DC police station men's restroom: "'It's extremely offensive, so we're taking it very seriously,' [Police Chief Cathy] Lanier said. Lanier sent an e-mail to police department personnel Thursday night that said, 'All members of this department put their lives on the line every day, and I will not tolerate any member treating another police professional with disrespect.' Lanier said she will 'impose the most serious penalty' if the perpetrator is found to be a member of the department. The graffiti was found in an area that is accessible to both officers and civilians, Lanier said, so it is not clear who may have left the message."

New Chicago Episcopal bishop Jeffrey Lee shows support for gay clergy: "'That's one of the tragedies afflicting the church right now,' he said. 'So many of us seem to think that salvation depends on our theological correctness.'"

Gay Republicans flocking to McCain?

First lady of California Maria Shriver joins Kennedys in 'surprise' Obama endorsement.

SF health officials apologize to gay community for MRSA scare: "We regret that our recent news report (1-14-08) about an important population-based study on MRSA USA300 with public health implications contained some information that could be interpreted as misleading. We deplore negative targeting of specific populations in association with MRSA infections or other public health concerns, and we will be working to ensure that accurate information about the research is disseminated to the health community and the general public."

San Francisco-based music journalist Adam Block dies.

Police break up suspected 'gay' party in India: " A team, led by deputy police commissioner Bhujangrao Shinde, raided the Agrawal bungalow at Yeoor and detained six persons, including the main organiser, Sahil Bhoricha (24). Liquor bottles and condoms were seized from the bungalow. Entry to Yeoor Hills was restricted during the operation. Ashok Row Kavi of Humsafar Trust, a gay rights group, condemned the action as unfair, given that all the men detained were adults and were not found violating any law. A magistrate denied the police custody of those arrested."

Robbie Williams becomes a bear.

Britney Spears' family finally takes control of the situation.

Western Montana Gay and Lesbian Community Center hold "skate against hate" in Missoula to raise awareness about anti-gay violence there.

Gerard Butler and Jonathan Rhys Meyers party it up in L.A.

Ohio health officials to study smoking habits of gay teens: "Health officials are allocating $60,000 to identify the smoking habits of those teens and develop a tobacco-prevention campaign for them. Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss says gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community has a smoking rate at about 40 to 60 percent. As part of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Community Youth and Young Adults Anti-Tobacco Social Marketing Project, officials will form focus groups among youths ages 12 through 20 at an LBGT center in Columbus."

Melbourne, Australia holds gay pride march...

Vanessa Williams to be honored as "Ally for Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign. More...

Second memorial service for Heath Ledger held in L.A.: "Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen Degeneres and other celebrities gathered at the Sony Pictures lot on Saturday to remember Heath Ledger. This service comes a week after a smaller gathering that included ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts was held in Beverly Hills. Other mourners included Heath's father Kim, representatives from CAA (the agency that represented Heath), director Todd Haynes, and actress Shannyn Sossamon who was Heath's co-star in "A Knight's Tale". "I'm Not There" director Haynes spoke at the service."

Police raid gay bar in Philippines, arrest 10 for alleged prostitution: "The men were nabbed inside the Male Bucks Hosto Bar in Angeles City around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Members of the raiding team used a female informer who posed as a customer. The informer told authorities that the "entertainers" were dancing on stage clad only in their underwear."

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Gay and lesbian retirement home in Santa Fe targeted by homophobic vandals.

SF Zoo: Tiger may have been "teased" before it attacked.

Vince Vaughn pays off ungodly gambling debt to ice cream cone.

Elton John to play gig in Abu Dhabi: "Sir Elton John has surprised fans by announcing he will play his first gig in the United Arab Emirates later this month. The flamboyantly gay star, who has sold 250m albums in a four-decade career, will perform at an open-air concert in Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel. The decision could leave Sir Elton open to charges of hypocrisy, because of the UAE's poor record on human rights. Homosexuality is illegal: those convicted of it face jail sentences, or compulsary psychiatric 'treatment', including the injection of hormones designed to 'cure' them."

HuffPo's Alex Geana finds Clinton online presence strong among Iowa's gays and lesbians: "All the Iowans I talked to are still greatly undecided, but I was able to garner some interesting mentions. Such as Clinton volunteers and campaign workers in the chat rooms, not only to connect and be social but to actually champion her as their choice. Is Hillary the only one that fosters being 'out' on the campaign trail? No one mentioned other campaigns so comfortable with the online world, apparently Obama and Edwards staffers don't identify with both their sexuality and campaign, but that's just a theory."

Late night hosts undergo beard analysis.

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on Gene Robinson and out clergy: "He is certainly not alone in being a gay bishop; he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop. He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status."

Miami commissioner Marc Sarnoff fends off resident bothering him about his sexuality: "Let me state that bringing the persons sexual preference to bear in a conversation is not only wrong, but it denigrates all the progress we as a tolerant society have made. It reminds me of the Boy who cried Wolf. When the Wolf arrives no one believes them. Equally when race is brought into an issue and it is not present it belies the credibility of the story teller the next cry for wolf. No one will believe their stories. You demonstrate today that we have a great deal more to achieve as a society before we can call ourselves tolerant. As long as one of you is out there we have much prejudice to stamp out and in time we will."

Miss Jackson poised for some Feedback.

Apple rumored to start record label with Jay-Z. Announcement forthcoming at Macworld?

Long Island, New York law firm turns focus to LGBT issues.

South Korean police officer comes out, vows to fight prejudice: "On Dec. 30, Private Kim Hyun-jong (not his real name) posted an article about his homosexuality on the online riot police community Web site. He is the second policeman from the squad to have openly come out after YooJeong Min-shik identified himself as being gay and refused to finish his service term for which he was prisoned in 2006. In South Korea, men can serve in the riot police as part of their mandatory military service. In the article, Kim said that coming out was not easy, but what was more important was that he faced discrimination and insults, that should be outlawed at military camps. Kim, who works at a police station in Yongsan, Seoul, said his coming out was almost an 'outing' (forced to make a coming out by others) after some fellow policemen read some private information he had saved on his computer. He said he first tried to deny it, but later made up his mind to declare his sexual identity."

Roman Catholic bishop in Spain claims that underage boys want abuse: "There are 13 year old adolescents who are under age and who are perfectly in agreement with, and what’s more wanting it, and if you are careless they will even provoke you."

Gayhane: Gay Muslims find nightlife in Berlin. "European Muslims, so often portrayed one-dimensionally as rioters, honor killers or terrorists, live diverse lives, most of them trying to get by and to have a good time. That is more difficult if one is both Muslim and gay. 'When you’re here, it’s as if you’re putting on a mask, leaving the everyday outside and just having fun,' said a 22-year-old Turkish man who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear that he would be ostracized or worse if his family found out about his sexual orientation. Safety and secrecy come up regularly when talking to guests, who laugh and dance, but also frequently look over their shoulders. To be a gay man or lesbian with an immigrant background invites trouble here in two very different ways."

Ryan Reynolds is a ruff ryder.

'Obscene' Terence Koh Jesus statue causes uproar in Britain.

STUDY: Gay seniors rely on friends for medical care when ill. " Those who were helped were suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, muscular/skeletal illnesses, cardiovascular disease, or other afflictions associated with aging, according to the Rockway Institute. Thirty-eight percent of the survey participants reported to have received care within the past five years from people who weren't health care professionals. Of the group who received help, 76% said that they had also assisted others in their time of need. The sample comprised 199 LGB adults ages 40–85 who were located through elder care agencies in New York City and Los Angeles."

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Apologize for Anti-gay Persecution

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has been vocal of late in his criticism of the Anglican church and its homophobic policies towards gays, told BBC Radio Manchester's Gay Hour that he's sorry for the way that the church has treated gay people in the past.

Said Tutu: "I want to apologise to you and to all those who we in the church have persecuted. I’m sorry that we have been part of the persecution of a particular group. For me that is quite un-Christ like and, for that reason, it is unacceptable. May be even as a retired Archbishop I probably have, to some extent, a kind of authority but apart from anything let me say for myself and anyone who might want to align themselves with me, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the hurt, for the rejection, for the anguish that we have caused to such as yourselves."

Tutu recently called the church "extraordinarily homophobic" and "obsessed with questions of human sexuality" and continues to blast it over its rift with the Episcopal branch.

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu: Church is "Extraordinarily Homophobic"

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in an interview to be aired Tuesday, slams his own church for focusing, shamefully, on homosexuality. It's not the first time he has expressed such a disappointment.

Says Tutu: "Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and AIDS - a devastating pandemic, and conflict...In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality...God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another."

According to reports, he also criticizes Rowan Williams, the archibishop of Canterbury, for failing to demonstrate that the Anglican church's God is one who is all-loving.

Added Tutu: "If God as they say is homophobic I wouldn't worship that God...It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race infected society. Why doesn't [Williams] demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God."

Previously
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Blasts Anglican Church Over Gay Rift [tr]

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Episcopal Bishop Tells Homophobes to Move On

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in Burlington, Vermont on Friday to attend a convention of Vermont's Episcopal diocese, hit out at homophobic members of the church still upset over the ordination of New Hampshire's Gene Robinson.

Said Schori: "Obviously a handful of our church leaders are still upset and would like to see the church never ordain and never baptize a gay or lesbian person. We need to refocus on more life-and-death issues like starvation, education, medical care."

Schori and the Episcopal House of Bishops announced in September that a decision had been made by the church to "exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."

The decision, which included a halt to blessings of same-sex unions, was seen by many as caving to the international Anglican church's more conservative policies.

Said Schori at the time: "This resolution really is the result of finding common ground to stand on. Not everyone was 100 percent happy with every word in this document, as you might imagine, but together we believe that we have found a place that all of us can stand together."

Church leader says members unhappy with gay bishop should refocus [ap]

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