Florida Democratic Rep. Darryl Rouson's Anti-Gay Adoption Stance

An appearance by Florida State Democratic Rep. Darryl Rouson (formerly Republican) on a talk show discussing adoption by same-sex couples has been raising eyebrows.

Said Rouson: "I think it is wrong to allow adoptions of children by gay and lesbian couples. It sends a wrong message early to a child during formative years that’s hard to overcome just by sitting down and talking to them."

As well as, "I think lesbianism and homosexuality is morally wrong. The law is supposed to discriminate sometimes, in some respects, it is supposed to discriminate against social order and anarchy."

Rouson is running against Rev. Charles McKenzie in the August 26th Democratic primary. McKenzie supports anti-discrimination laws and opposes Amendment 2, the Marriage Protection Amendment.

Watch it AFTER THE JUMP...

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UK Catholic Adoption Agencies Will Reluctantly Consider Gays

Because of anti-discrimination laws, the largest Catholic Adoption in England and Wales will adopt a new policy that won't rule out same-sex couples as adoptive parents:

"The move will undoubtedly be seen as controversial in some quarters. In January 2007, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor wrote to the-then Prime Minister Tony Blair suggesting that Catholic adoption agencies in England and Wales would be forced to close down if they were not allowed to opt out of new gay rights laws, which he said contradicted Catholic teaching. The cardinal said forcing people to act against their consciences would mean discrimination on the grounds of belief, adding that it would be an 'unnecessary tragedy' if Catholic agencies were forced to close. In the cardinal's Westminster archdiocese, the Catholic Children's Society has opted to mount a legal challenge to the regulations by amending its constitution. But A&BSP, which prepares between 40-50 potential adoptive parents a year, has instead decided to comply with them."

However, that doesn't mean they have to approve them. Said Terry Connor, chief executive of the society: "I suspect if a same-sex couple arrives at any of the agencies just to test out the system, they will not get very far."

Recently
McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt [tr]

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McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt

John McCain would rather children suffer without families rather than have gay parents adopt them. In an interview with George Stephanopolous on This Week, McCain, who recently said he was against gay adoption, then backtracked on it, is now back to his original position.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

STEPHANOPOULOS: What is your position on gay adoption? You told the “New York Times" you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn’t find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?

MCCAIN: My position is, it’s not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what do you mean by that, it’s not the reason you’re running for president of the United States?

MCCAIN: Because I think — well, I think that it’s — it is important for us to emphasize family values. But I think it’s very important that we understand that we have other challenges, too. I’m running for president of the United States, because I want to help with family values. And I think that family values are important, when we have two parent — families that are of parents that are the traditional family.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don’t have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what’s wrong with that?

MCCAIN: I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re against gay adoption.

MCCAIN: I am for the values and principles that two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many of these decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will do everything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things that keeps families together, including educational opportunities, including a better economy, job creation. And I’m running for president, because I want to help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe that family values and family traditions are preserved.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Facebook, Barry Scott, Hail, Bahamas, Adoption, Batman

Unhealthy. Nearly 40% of gay men do not disclose their sexual orientation to their doctors: "The survey found a striking distinction: While 78 percent of the men who had sex with men and identified themselves as homosexual said they had discussed their sexuality with their doctors, none of the men who had sex with men but identified themselves as bisexual had told their doctors."

Tricia Walsh-Smith: making a name for marriage.

Drive to ban gays as adoptive or foster parents falls short of signatures, gets 30 day extension of deadline: "Supporters need 61,794 signatures to get the measure on the ballot. Secretary of State Charlie Daniels' office certified that 57,888 of the signatures the group submitted in were valid and came from registered voters. Cox said about 4.5 percent of the signatures the group turned in were disqualified because of errors by notaries. Of the remaining signatures, 91.3 percent were valid, he said."

Trans man Thomas Beatie sold his baby photos to People for $300,000.

Bahamas: Could teen charged with murder be linked to gay serial killings?

Tribute: Lifetime to air 10-hour Estelle Getty marathon.

Michigan to consider expanded hate crimes law: "Michigan’s hate crime law would expand to include intimidation of gays and lesbians and people with disabilities, and would make hanging a noose or burning a cross on someone else’s property specific crimes, under changes urged by civil rights groups today. Those changes will be put on a fast track in the House next month, said Rep. Paul Condino, D-Southfield, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He said he would introduce a bill today to strengthen the state’s ethnic intimidation law."

Cape Cod Jury rules against Boston DJ Barry Scott in Provincetown police excessive force case: "Scott was arrested July 14 after police broke up a private birthday party he was DJ-ing after alleged noise complaints. In the process, Scott claims that officers smashed him against the side of a house and repeatedly kicked him. In the subsequent months, he and his supporters have been vocal critics of the actions of the Provincetown police department. Prior to today’s ruling, he has appeared in court 15 times on the charges." Scott plans to appeal.

Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil to be guest of honor at Stockholm Pride: "I am honoured to be invited as one of the opening speakers for StockholmPride. Especially since I live in a country where LGBT issues continue to be ridiculously taboo, no matter how universally practiced."

Christopher Ciccone to the New York Observer on the publication of his Madonna tell-all: "...it was like a giant fucking orgasm. Therapy I already had; this was pure sex."

Hailstones blast man off toilet in Austria.

A look at Batman's gay past...

Pump up the volume: Brangelina twins conceived in vitro.

As session end looms, Massachusetts House has yet to take up repeal of 1913 marriage law.

Hartlepool: Police appeal for witnesses after UK gay bash.

Josh Brolin makes first appearance after bar brawl: "[I'm] sorry. I'm kind of in a bad predicament right now."

British man awarded £22,000 in damages over Facebook profile that suggested he was gay: "Grant Raphael created a false profile of his former schoolfriend Matthew Firscht on the social networking site with his name and date of birth. He wrongly stated that Mr Firscht was signed up to gay groups, had lied to avoid paying loans and was 'looking for whatever I can get' in his relationship profile. Mr Raphael, a freelance cameraman, had said the entry had been created by party gate-crashers at his flat. Awarding Mr Firscht and his company £22,000 in damages, a High Court judge yesterday ruled that the defence had been 'built on lies'. It is believed to be the first successful defamation and privacy law case involving Facebook in the UK. Judge Richard Parkes QC said that Mr Raphael was liable for the internet entries and had lied about the posts."

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Obama Campaign Highlights McCain's Flip-Flops, Memory

The Obama campaign is pointing out McCain's recent flip-flops and confusions in a new memo:

"The self-professed candidate of 'straight talk' and 'experience' spent today changing his position on gay adoption, adopting Senator Obama’s position that we need more troops in Afghanistan after having resisted taking that position, flip flopping on whether he’d send U.S. or NATO troops (he actually offered three different explanations on where those additional troops would come from), and referring to a country that hasn’t existed since 1992 for the second time in two days."

That country would be Czechoslovakia. According to Think Progress, "This is at least the fourth time in the last year that McCain has harkened back to the old days when the Iron Curtain divided Europe."

And an old joke McCain once made about rape surfaced yesterday:

"Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’"

In lighter news, JibJab has released their latest animated clip, a take on campaigning. Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

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John McCain Backtracks on Gay Adoption Remarks

John McCain has backtracked on a statement to the New York Times over the weekend on whether or not same-sex parents should be allowed to adopt children. Said McCain to the paper: "I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."

The remarks were criticized by PFLAG which responded with research to the contrary.

McCain campaign Director of Communications Jill Hazelbaker sent out the following clarification this afternoon:

"McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue, just as he made it clear in the interview that marriage is a state issue. He was not endorsing any federal legislation. McCain's expressed his personal preference for children to be raised by a mother and a father wherever possible. However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

Previously
PFLAG Responds to McCain Remarks on Gay Adoption [tr]
John McCain on Gay Adoption, Marriage, the Internet [tr]

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PFLAG Responds to McCain Remarks on Gay Adoption

Citing research from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children who grow up raised by gay parents "fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual," PFLAG has hit back at Senator John McCain's ignorant remarks to the New York Times over the weekend that he and his wife Cindy and their heterosexual marriage are the ultimate example of what adoptive parents should look like.

Said McCain: "I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."

Responded executive director Jody M. Huckaby: "In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like. We are disappointed and saddened that a public leader who is himself an adoptive father would deny the children in America’s foster care system the opportunity to thrive as part of a welcoming family. Love makes a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain’s can certainly tear families apart, too. Senator McCain’s position is out of synch with the research and science and out of step with what is in the best interests of children waiting for a home and a family. PFLAG knows the pain inflicted upon families due to misinformation about LGBT issues. We implore Senator McCain to take a serious look at the overwhelming evidence and listen to the stories of the countless children raised by loving lesbian and gay couples. The evidence is clear: children should not be denied access to the loving homes of gay couples."

PFLAG notes additional research from the AAP: "In fact, growing up with parents who are lesbian or gay may confer some advantages to children. They have been described as more tolerant of diversity and more nurturing toward younger children than children whose parents are heterosexual."

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John McCain on Gay Adoption, Marriage, the Internet

In an interview with the NYT on Sunday, John McCain said flat out that he doesn't believe gay couples should be allowed to adopt children:

"I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."

Forget all the same-sex couples who have successfully raised children. He and Cindy set the standard.

He also spoke on the subject of same-sex marriage: "Many social conservatives strenuously oppose California’s decision to allow same-sex marriage. But Mr. McCain, who also opposes same-sex marriage, has always said that the issue is up to the states, and in the interview he said he would stick to that position as president even if California chose to continue allowing gay marriage after putting the matter to a statewide vote in November. 'I respect the right of the states to make those decisions,' he said."

McCain also talked about his use of the internet (clip from the Personal Democracy Forum 2008 in late June): "He said, ruefully, that he had not mastered how to use the Internet and relied on his wife and aides like Mark Salter, a senior adviser, and Brooke Buchanan, his press secretary, to get him online to read newspapers (though he prefers reading those the old-fashioned way) and political Web sites and blogs. 'They go on for me,' he said. 'I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.'"

In other news, following the reports of Alabama Attorney General Troy King's possible resignation over a gay affair, the McCain campaign scrubbed all references to King from its website.

And Michelangelo Signorile discusses McCain's sham marriages, responding to an L.A. Times article over the weekend which reported on the fact that McCain had obtained a marriage license for Cindy while still married to his first wife: "Although McCain suggested in his autobiography that months passed between his divorce and remarriage, the divorce was granted April 2, 1980, and he wed Hensley in a private ceremony five weeks later. McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife."

McCain’s Conservative Model? Roosevelt (Theodore, That Is) [nyt]

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Breakfast with Scot Opens L.A.'s Outfest

Breakfast with Scot opened L.A.'s Outfest film fest last night at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The Canadian film (based on a 1999 novel by Michael Downing) tells the story of a gay couple (a former Toronto Maple Leaf and the team's lawyer) who become the guardians of an eleven-year-old boy struggling to understand his sexuality. More of the fests offerings and intentions were written up today in The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the industry paper, "This year's Platinum programming pays tribute to underground punk mutineer Bruce LaBruce with screenings of his 'Super 8 1/2' (1993) and new 'Otto; or, Up With Dead People' (Strand Releasing) at Redcat. This year's highest honor, the Outfest Achievement Award, will go to filmmaker Donna Deitch, whose 1985 'Desert Hearts' made waves for its earnest and positive portrayal of lesbian romance. Outfest also has selected a small number of "centerpiece" films for Gala screenings. This year's opening- and closing-night galas at the Orpheum Theatre are 2007's 'Breakfast With Scot' and 2008's 'Tru Loved,' both of which depict families helmed by gay and lesbian parents in tree-lined suburbia. Likely to create buzz this election year are films in the Outing Politics series, including the Oscar-winning 1984 documentary 'The Times of Harvey Milk,' a narrative version of which will be released by Focus Features this year, and Dan Butler's satire 2007's 'Karl Rove, I Love You,' which centers on an unknown actor's obsession with the Dubya handler."

Breakfast with Scot made headlines in 2006 as it was the first gay-themed film to be endorsed by an NHL franchise, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The endorsement, of course, rattled wingnuts like James Hartline, who slammed the endorsement and the film's gay parenting message. The movie's star Tom Cavanagh talked about playing gay last year and his onscreen kiss with actor Ben Shenkman. Said Cavanagh of the kiss: "Let me quote Keats here: 'Beauty is truth, and truth is beauty.' And when you're as good-looking as Ben Shenkman, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. Although, I'm not sure if Ben's wife wants to hear me say that."

Watch the trailer for Breakfast with Scot, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Anti-Gay Christian Group Gives Up on Repealing Maine Gay Rights Law

Another one bites the dust. Anti-gay initiatives are failing on both coasts.

The Christian Civic League in Maine is giving up on efforts it launched in April to repeal the state's gay rights laws. Its initiative, for which it had only collected a third of the necessary signatures, was a proposed law that "had several components, including repealing Maine's law protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, credit and education. It would have barred the use of state funds by the attorney general's office for its civil rights teams and civil rights programs in public schools. It would have reaffirmed Maine's existing law that restricts marriages to one man and one woman, and ensured that only one unmarried person or one married couple jointly could adopt a person."

Michael Heath, the League's executive director and organizer of the initative, said that one of the issues was that volunteers ""[didn't] want to be aligned with bigotry and homophobia and hatred."

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News: Luke Russert, Coldplay, British Army, Father's Day, Canada

Tim Russert's son Luke talks to Matt Lauer...

The executives of the Human Rights Campaign contributed $4,300 to Hillary Clinton's campaign and $0 to Barack Obama. Records show that the other contenders received the following amounts: Dodd — $3,000, Edward — $750, Richardson — $500.

Prince Edward County in Canada a magnet for open-minded thinkers: "Bill [Stearman] says he's seen more homophobia in cities such as Toronto and Belleville. 'It's comfortable here and you don't have to worry. There's a person with a beard and breasts who happily walks down the main street in Picton and nobody cares.' Carlyn Moulton, who co-owns the Oeno Gallery nearby, calls it the 'So-What Factor,' and says people are bonded much more by things other than sexual orientation."

Coldplay's Chris Martin storms out of BBC interview.

Father's Day: Gay couple who adopted three young brothers speaks out: "We are just like you, other than that it’s two men instead of a man and a woman. We live life the same way you do. We put our pants on one leg at a time just like you do. We have the same routines and the same requirements to keep our household going."

Matthew McConaughey back doing what he does best.

Join McCain's "team".

Gay soldiers in Britain's Army will be allowed to march in this year's gay pride parades while in uniform, and not in the red shirts they were forced to wear last year as a replacement: "The Ministry of Defence announced that the Army had this year joined the Royal Navy and RAF in allowing personnel to take part. Last year, soldiers were banned from wearing anything identifying their military links. But a meeting between army officials, Pride organisers and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, resulted in an agreement to scrap the ban in time for this year's parade on July 5."

Nova Scotia town of Truro a changed town after rainbow flag controversy: "The news release, issued Tuesday, says that as a result of discussions between town council and Mr. Thompson, a number of strategies will be undertaken. The town has amended its affirmative action policy to include sexual orientation in the town’s employment equity policy, the release says. Truro will also consider amendments to include gender identity in that policy. The release also says Mr. Mills and councillors will take part in an educational program designed by a town staff member and a representative of Rainbow Proud that will deal with homophobia and gender identity."

Prince William goes barebacking.

Gay Pride in Budapest, Hungary gets go-ahead after police chief reconsiders: " The new decision by Dr. Gábor Tóth approves of the march and its route as originally suggested by organisers. A meeting between the Pride organisers and police was due to be held this afternoon to renegotiate the march, but this was not required following the publication this morning of the new decision by Dr. Tóth."

Brokeback Mountain composer Gustavo Santoalalla receives BMI Icon of the Year award.

Tori Spelling shows off some big wieners

Controversy in Australia over football coach who was sacked after it was reported that he was bisexual.

Gay website for rural community in Ireland shuttered after lawsuit related to article on local lake which served as meeting place for gay men: "What could make a lake so lethal? Sex, actually. People were reportedly doing it under the nearby trees, in bushes, at and near the waters (in it, too, perhaps). An unusual wet weather activity, you may be thinking. A man objected. Tony Geraghty, a freesheet editor, witnessed this joie-de-vivre and wrote a cover story for The Mayo Echo, captioned 'Castlebar Lake attracts hundreds of perverts'. Threads on castlebar.ie found his article offensive; Mr Geraghty found the threads offensive. One thing led to a legal other and the site closed."

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Norwegian Parliament Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Norway's parliament has granted same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt children, and granted lesbians the right to be artificially inseminated:

"After a heated debate, the members of parliament adopted the text by a vote of 84 to 41. The three centre-left coalition parties in power and two opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, voted largely in favour of the law, while the Christian Democrats and the far-right Progress Party voted against it. 'This decision is of an importance comparable to universal suffrage and our law on parity,' Labour Party rapporteur Gunn Karin Gjul said during the debate. The most controversial part of the law is that which gives lesbians the right to be artificially inseminated. The sperm donor must be identified so that the child can seek out his or her biological father at the age of 18."

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Israel Grants Adoption to Gay Couple, Gives Child Citizenship

Israel has granted its first adoption to a same-sex couple:

"The landmark case involves a Cambodia-born boy, now eight years old, who was adopted in 2000 in the United States by two men who hold American and Israeli citizenship. Following his adoption, the boy received American citizenship and was also converted to Judaism. The parents returned to Israel shortly after the adoption, but their applications to the Interior Ministry to recognize the adoption and grant their child citizenship were unsuccessful. Since 2001, the child has lived in Israel on a temporary residence visa that is extended annually."

In February, Israel's attorney general Menahem Mazuz said in a landmark legal opinion that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt. This is the first instance that it has been granted.

The child was also granted Israeli citizenship.

Israel recognizes overseas adoption by gay couple, grants child citizenship [haaretz]
Israel 'recognises gay adoption' [afp]

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Anti-Gay Vatican Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo Dies at 72

Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, who voiced the Vatican's opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, and gay adoption, and spread false information about HIV prevention, died of cardiac arrest in Rome over the weekend.

The NYT: "Cardinal Trujillo, a Colombian, served as president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. He often expressed views on sexual issues that stirred contention, most notably in 2003 when he said that condoms did not prevent the spread of AIDS because the virus that causes it, H.I.V., can 'easily pass through.' The World Health Organization quickly responded that condoms were 90 percent effective against transmission and that when they failed, it was usually because of improper use...In 2004, Cardinal Trujillo characterized a proposal in Spain to allow gay marriage as a 'sad step,' and when it was enacted the next year he urged civil officials to refuse to perform such marriages, even at the cost of their jobs."

In 2005, Trujillo said that adoption by gays was a "morally violent" act and destroys the future of children: "People say these children adopted by same sex couples are very happy. Maybe, when they are one or two years old. But when they are able to think for themselves, when they grow up, what a tragedy when they have to say 'my parents are two men, or two women'. Their personality, their stability is put at risk."

Trujillo was 72.

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Florida Lawmaker Hopes to End Ban on Gay Adoption

Florida state senator Nan Rich has introduced a bill that would bring the Sunshine State a little bit closer to ending its ban on adoptions by same-sex parents.

CBS4 reports: "Under Rich's bill, gay foster parents would be allowed to adopt children if a judge rules it's in the child's best interest. Also, a gay adult would be considered a potential adoptive parent if he or she were the legal guardian of the child whose parents had died. Rich's proposal has received support from a number of groups including the National Council of Jewish Women, ACLU and Planned Parenthood."

Rich faces a tough battle, however, against a closet case and a bigot. Florida Governor Charlie Crist is opposed to ending the ban, and the bill has been assigned to a committee headed up by anti-gay harpy Ronda Storms!

I wrote about Storms back in 2005 when she was a Hillsborough County commissioner upset that the county was recognizing gay pride. So, it's no surprise that now Storms, who "ran for [state senate] on a pledge to prevent gays from being foster parents" has refused to bring the bill up for a debate or a vote.

Today is "Fair Adoption Lobby Day" Florida Today reports: "At a press conference on the issue, House sponsor Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, pointed out that gay couples are allowed by law to be foster parents. If that's all right, she said, 'they should be able to become the forever parents.' Non-traditional, loving families, including single parents and gay couples, are preferable to state care, she said. 'It's an issue of the heart, and it's an issue of common sense,' she said, adding that the state spends thousands of dollars trying to provide care for children who might otherwise be with gay parents."

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Norway Likely to Approve Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption

Norway looks set to become the next nation to approve same-sex marriage as well as adoption if new legislation proposed today is adopted.

Agence France Presse reports: "According to the Norwegian news agency NTB, the draft bill will probably receive the support of parliament, where the government holds 97 of 169 seats, when it comes to permitting gay marriage and adoption. It was however less clear if parliament would back in vitro fertilisation for lesbians, NTB said...The law proposal was voted through at a cabinet meeting, but two centrist members of government expressed their opposition to making artificial insemination accessible to women living in lesbian relationships."

Said Children and Equality minister Anniken Huitfeldt: "The lives of homosexual and of heterosexual couples are worth the same. The new law is not a weakening of the institution of marriage; rather it represents a strengthening. The value of marriage does not decrease because more people gain access to it."

Gays should be allowed to wed, adopt: Norway [afp]

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News: Brett Favre, Kentucky, Gus van Sant, Dallas, Danny Noriega

Gay Kentucky couple blocked from adopting child through state's foster care system: "Phillips and Parsley said they are outraged because they had already passed a criminal background check and a home survey by a Sunrise employee who was fully aware of their living arrangement. And they have attended two of five classes required for certification through the free program, they said."

Gus van Sant on filming his new film: Paranoid Park. REVIEW: Van Sant "makes another pretty, vacant movie about pretty, vacant boys..."

Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty posts video of himself smoking a cock.

Documentary explores Florida hate crime killing of Ryan Keith Skipper.

Gay porn films pulled from sale in the UK following barebacking investigation: "Two of the DVDs featured footage from a week-long shoot during which eight British models had sex with each other in multiple combinations without condoms. Four of those who took part were diagnosed as HIV positive soon after. One of the men told the BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale."

Green Bay Packers Brett Favre to retire. Sportrait flashback...

Lance and Ben document their romance.

Simon Cowell to produce Billy Eliot-Style musical on Britain's Got Talent winner, opera singer Paul Potts: "That particular day was one of the worst, the acts were just terrible, we were fed up and on comes this guy with a funny little suit and bad teeth who looked very nervous. I can remember looking at the other judges, with that 'here we go again' feeling. We had 2,000 people in the audience, and I'll never forget how much the room changed when he began singing." Video Flashback...

Steven Spielberg to launch social networking site for people interested in the afterlife: "The focus will be on users who’ve had or who are interested in sharing paranormal and extraterrestrial experiences. The new social network may also have original video content investigating alleged ghost and UFO stories."

Pink Speedo down under: Carson Kressley definitely not a fashion coward.

Dallas man claims he was assaulted at Station 4 nightclub: "Sid Gonzales, 43, said he suffered two broken bones in his wrist, a puncture wound to his hand and multiple bruises on his backside when two men assaulted him at about 11 p.m. Gonzales said he was near the main dance floor of the Dallas gay nightclub when two men and a woman walked over and stood nearby. Gonzales said he was 'a little buzzed' from alcohol but not intoxicated. He said he tried to be friendly and make small talk with the trio. But he said he was not trying to hit on the men, whom he described as straight-looking, well-dressed and college-aged. When Gonzales asked a few questions, the woman responded but the men said nothing and looked uncomfortable, he said. Gonzales said he reached out to shake hands with one of the men. The man grabbed Gonzales’ arm, twisted it in the air and slammed it against a knee. Gonzales said the first man also stabbed him in the hand with an unidentified object, while the second began kicking him in the backside."

American Idol contestant Danny Noriega wishes you a Merry Christmas.

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Spanish Gay Activists Rally Against Party Plans to Turn Back Rights

Spanish activists rallied outside the headquarters of the Popular Party's headquarters over the weekend, worried that if the conservative party wins the election on March 9, they will follow through with plans to reverse laws allowing same-sex marriage and gay adoption in the country.

The AP reports: "The Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero legalized gay marriage in July 2005 and passed legislation allowing gay couples to adopt. The PP immediately appealed against the laws at the Constitutional Court and its leaders have pledged that if elected they will overturn adoption rights and downgrade gay marriage to a civil union. Protesters carried banners reading 'Rights are fought for. We are for a secular State,' 'No to religious dictatorship' and 'Democracy is a daily battle.' The PP is backed by Spain's staunchly conservative Catholic Church."

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Gay Argentinians Cesar Cigliutti and Marcelo Suntheim Wed in Spain [tr]

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Israeli Attorney General Mazuz: Let Gay Couples Adopt

Citing recent court cases that had ruled in favor of court cases granting same-sex couples adoption rights, Israel's attorney general Menahem Mazuz said in a landmark legal opinion over the weekend that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt:

"According to a statement issued by Mazuz Sunday, 'there is no legal reason to prevent a same-sex couple, or either one of them, from adopting a child who is not the biological offspring of one of the partners, according to the same criteria applied to a single person who wants to adopt a child and conditional, as is customary, on considerations of the best interests of the child.' Mazuz added that his directive established the principle of the legal right for homosexual couples to adopt, but that each request by a couple had to be investigated on its own merits. However, he emphasized that the authorities could not reject an adoption request by a homosexual couple solely on the grounds that having two parents of the same sex was by definition bad for the child. 'In accordance with the High Court ruling,' Mazuz wrote, ''the well-being of the adopted child' is a complex principle that includes many aspects, and one may not say a priori that because the couple is same-sex, it will be bad for the child to be adopted by it. Therefore, the question of the identity of the couple is only one of the relevant considerations that must be taken into account together with all the other relevant circumstances and considerations.'"

Israeli lawmakers are set to discuss the ruling today.

Attorney-General: Let same-sex couples adopt [jerusalem post]
Knesset Committee to Discuss Homosexual Adoption Ruling [israeli national news]
Israeli gays allowed to adopt [melbourne herald sun]

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News: PETA, Star Trek, NYC Waterfalls, Bugs, Shock Therapy

Gay, Jewish students targeted by hate threats at Stanford: " Jireh Tan ‘11 was sitting in his Resident Assistant’s dorm room the week after Thanksgiving break when his RA passed him an envelope. In it was his door sign. On it, someone had written 'die fag fag fag fag.' 'When I saw it my blood was chilled,' he said. 'I felt really scared.'"

Claim: Britney Spears has multiple personalities. "Sources have told them that the fake British accent is more than just a fake accent. When Brit stops using the accent she has no idea what she did during the time she was using it. Britney apparently was the 'British girl' when she didn't show up to her deposition and has no recollection of it whatsoever."

Consumer group asks Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to offiically reclassify PETA as a "slaughterhouse" following the revelation of the hundreds of pets they euthanized in a single year: "An official report filed by PETA itself shows that the animal rights group put to death nearly every dog, cat, and other pet it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 animals."

The first real shot of the USS Enterprise from JJ Abrams' Star Trek film has been released along with a teaser trailer.

Gay and lesbian ex-pat bankers overseas still facing plenty of discrimination.

Don't go chasing waterfalls: NYC to get aquatic public art project this summer. "There will be four illuminated waterfalls in all, ranging from 90-120 feet in height, and one will be located off the coast of Governors Island. Yep, they somehow found a way to make Gov's Island even more creepy at night!"

Iowa Supreme Court hands down ruling in gay adoption case, sends it back to district court: "The case involves Heather Schott and Jamie Schott, the children's natural parent. After they ended their relationship, Heather Schott asked a district court to determine child custody, physical care and support for the children. The court ruled an unmarried adult can't adopt without terminating the rights of both natural parents, and that since Jamie Schott's rights weren't terminated the adoptions weren't valid. The Supreme Court says the adoptions are similar to stepparent adoptions and that the district court has jurisdiction. The high court sent the case back to district court."

Richard Hatch miserable in prison: "The openly gay ex-Army man, doing four years for tax evasion, is 'having such a hard time in prison. To be honest, I think he's starting to lose it. I don't think he'll make it and he looks horrible,' former 'Survivor' contestant Jenna Morasca told Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden at Hawaiian Tropic Zone. 'He's really going out of his mind . . . He blames ['Survivor' creator] Mark Burnett for all his troubles . . . He literally hates Mark and he claims he's going to write a tell-all book when he gets out.'"

Box Turtle Bulletin takes a look back at electric shock aversion therapy for gay people: "In experimental psychology electric shock has been widely used both in animals and in humans. In clinical treatment, however, it has been less often used. The technique is simpler, more accurately controlled, and more certain in producing an unpleasant effect than drugs. This article describes a simple apparatus designed by one of us (R. J. McG.) and its use in the aversive treatment of sexual perversions, alcoholism, smoking, and neurotic symptoms. Apparatus. — The components are cheap (under £1) and fit into a box approximately 6 in. (15 cm.) square and 2 in. (5 cm.) deep (Figs. 1 and 2). It is powered by a 9-volt battery and is therefore completely portable. The shock is administered through electrodes on a cuff around the patient’s forearm."

Hillary Clinton campaign denounces Spanish language ad from one of Obama's labor allies. Ad: "Hillary Clinton does not respect our people. Hillary Clinton is shameless. Sen. Obama is defending our right to vote. Sen. Obama wants our votes. He respects our votes, our community, and our people. Sen. Obama’s campaign slogan is 'Si Se Puede.' Vote for a president who respects us, and who respects our right to vote."

The five most HORRIFYING bugs in the world.

Those naughty Abercrombie zombies are back for Spring.

Scotland's only gay football club prepares for first game: "The Edinburgh-based HotScots FC now boasts 75 members, less than a year after it was set up. They are going to take on Haddington Select in a friendly match at Aubigny Sports Centre. Chairman and founder Kevin Rowe said: "This will be instrumental in our preparation for the Gay World Cup in August. 'By playing local teams, we can break down barriers surrounding homophobia in sport and dispel a few myths that gay people and football simply do not mix.'"

Colin Farrell turning into a silver fox.

Scientist clones himself? "In a breakthrough certain to provoke an ethical furore, Samuel Wood created embryo copies of himself by placing his skin cells in a woman's egg. The embryos were the first to be made from cells taken from adult humans. Although they survived for only five days and were smaller than a pinhead, they are seen as a milestone in the quest for treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."

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News: Venezuela, Andy Roddick, Melting Glaciers, Lynne Cheney

STUDY: America's youth rejecting Christianity because of hypocrisy and homophobia. "A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29. 'The Christian community's ability to take the high road and help to deal with some of the challenges that this (anti-gay) perception represents may be the ... defining response of the Christian church in the next decade,' said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. 'The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people.'"

Assessing the disaster that is Britney's album cover art.

Venezuela looks ready to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Three people in Cheney's office reportedly tried to silence MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I thought on the 10th anniversary it would be good to celebrate the First Amendment, which gives us all our living. We reviewed in brief the remarkable experience of covering the Clinton [scandal] and the defense of the war with Iraq. And the difference in these two cases was that although I was extremely tough on Clinton, there was never any attempt to silence me — whereas there was a concerted effort by [Vice President Cheney’s office] to silence me. It came in the form of three different people calling trying to quiet me."

British university student expelled for leaving homophobic comments in a group on Facebook.

STUDY: 16,000 couples wed in first year of UK civil partnerships. "London was the area with the highest number of ceremonies, about 4,000, followed by the South-East, which accounted for about 2,700. Today's report also reveals that 10 per cent of the men and almost a quarter of the women involved in a gay wedding were previously married-The average age for males registering a same-sex partnership was 47 and for females nearly 44. The average age gap between partners was eight years for men and six years for women."

Elton John bangs balls with Andy Roddick at benefit tournament.

Ricky Martin receives key to the city of Miami.

Fragrance industry sniffing out Madonna.

The big melt: Glaciers disappearing from Montana's Glacier National Park "eight years ahead of schedule."

Tennessee attorney general Bob Cooper releases opinon to judge saying that the state's constitution presents no barrier to same-sex couples who want to adopt: "In it, Cooper wrote that, under the state constitution, same-sex couples should be eligible to adopt children as long as the court finds the placement to be in the child's best interest. Cooper found the constitution doesn't mention adoption, meaning the process is governed solely by statutes. Tennessee law doesn't require people petitioning for adoption to be married."

Lynne Cheney booed on The Daily Show, says terrorist attacks worldwide don't affect American interests.

This is a particularly hypnotizing optical illusion.

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News: Manchester, David Bowie, Tennis, Tim Gunn, Madonna

Earthquakes strike Manchester's gay village: "It was the sixth earthquake to hit the city in the past month, all measuring between 1.4 and 2.5 magnitude. A swarm of 150 tremors occurred in the same area between October 2002 and January 2003. Seismologist Dr Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey said: 'An earthquake of this magnitude is not unusual in the UK and you would not expect any structural damage as a result of this earthquake'."

Match-fixing alleged in professional tennis: "Two elite players made the claims, under anonymity, in an interview with the French sports daily claiming they have witnessed matches being "thrown" and that they had personally been offered bribes...The unnamed sources in L'Equipe's report called on the sport's authorities to act, 'before things get out of hand'. 'I know several players who have been approached, and who had the exact same experience as me,' said one player, identified only as Mister B and who claimed he had been approached physically by someone offering him 50,000 dollars to lose a match. He added: 'Not for one second did I believe it was a joke. 50,000 dollars is more than what I would have got for getting to the semi-final in this tournament, and it was tax-free cash. 'I refused his offer straight away, but I was left wondering what direction we're going in.'"

Willa Ford joins Bobby Trendy in new film about Anna Nicole Smith - first shots.

Yesterday, the death knell was sounded for West Village bar Julius. Today, news that it has reopened, at least for now.

Lesbian couple are first in Colorado to adopt. "'People say, they need two parents. We say, they've got two parents,' says Jeannie DiClementi, who along with life partner Mary Ross, have become the first gay couple to adopt children together under a new state law. 'This is a victory for children.'"

Jesse Metcalfe obtains topless female tattoo.

David Bowie to join UK TV series Dr Who as an evil alien abductor: "The singer who found fame as a cross-dressing glam rock star Ziggy Stardust in the 70s will cross swords with the Tardis's Time Lord, actor David Tennant when he kidnaps crime author Agatha Christie."

Lesbian is one of five finalists for bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

AfterElton talks to style guru Tim Gunn about his forthcoming show and his last relationship: "I had been in a relationship and a very intense one. And it broke up after quite a number of years. And it broke up abruptly – didn't break up from me. I was cast aside. And it was just, just at the advent of AIDS. And I found out he had been sleeping with a lot of people. And thank God I'm healthy. Because I didn't know and it had been going on for a while. So when we broke up, there the world of AIDS is spread out before me, and I thought ‘I can't do this. I don't want to be selfish, but I care too much about my health'. And the person I loved more than myself had been cheating on me and lying to me. So if that person is doing it, what about total strangers? So I just got used to being alone, very used to it."

An interactive graph based on The World Without Us, Alan Weisman's gripping new book about what would happen to the Earth should humans disappear.

REPORT: Madonna to adopt second orphan from Malawi.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tore a jewelry clerk to shreds, according to a new biography, after the clerk whispered something under her breath when Condi asked to see a nicer item: "Let’s get one thing straight. You are behind the counter because you have to work for minimum wage. I’m on this side asking to see the good jewelry because I make considerably more.

Filmmaker documents the end of three gay British men in 1967: "The outline of their deaths is well documented. On February 3 1967, the independent record producer Joe Meek killed his landlady, Violet Shenton, before turning the shotgun on himself. On August 9, the hottest new British playwright of his generation, Joe Orton, was murdered by his companion, Kenneth Halliwell. On August 27, the body of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein was found after an accidental overdose of a prescribed sleeping pill."

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