News: Ganymede, Mark Salling, Eating Disorders, Paula Abdul

Ukraine offers deal to Elton John in guardianship of HIV-positive boy?

Paula Abdul wants Ellen's job now.

Court: Male teen tried to stab, gas man to death after having sex with him. "Prosecuting counsel Jennifer Blewitt told the court the teenager had been communicating with the man for some time through text messages before he agreed to meet him. The pair then returned to the man’s home for sex and the younger man left afterwards, leaving the kitchen gas turned on and unlit. Soon afterwards, Ms Blewitt said, he returned with the knife and thrust it at the man as he opened the door."

Divas: Kelly Clarkson duets with Melissa Etheridge.

Four gay candidates advance in NYC elections.

British school calls emergency assembly over sex change of 12-year-old boy: "What has really upset the parents is that the school didn't see fit to send us a letter first so we could explain it to children in our own way. Maybe we could have explained sexual politics and encouraged our kids to be more sensitive. They were simply told, 'You may notice one pupil is not present in this assembly – that is because the pupil is now a girl'. The girl, as she now is, will go through hell because of how this has been handled."

Obama anoints unicorn trend.

Jupiter's moon Ganymede generates spectacular light shows at planet's poles.

Thousands line up for gay and lesbian job fair in NYC.

GLB teens at higher risk for eating disorders: "Among males, the highest risks were seen among homosexuals -- who were seven times more likely to report bingeing and nearly 12 times more likely to report purging than heterosexual males."

Inside the secret rallies of Maine marriage equality foes: "The interesting revelation: That it was apparently the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins who requested the media shut-out. Weird, considering this is a man who has never met a camera lens to which he wouldn't lend a talking point."

Americablog: Who is Barney Frank, anyway?

Mohawk lovers: Glee's Mark Salling.

European Parliament condemns homophobic legislation in Lithuania: “It is particularly alarming that the Lithuanian parliament succeeded in passing homophobic legislation under the pretence of child protection, when it is clearly in the best interests of young people to have as much information as possible on these issues. Open discussion among young people is the best way to tackle discriminatory attitudes and the high suicide rates of young people who come out as gay or lesbian."

Insurance company ordered to pay $10 million for revoking policy of 17-year-old college student after he tested positive for HIV.

Shirley Tan and her family advocate for immigration in D.C.: "The Tan-Mercado family met with several members of Congress, the staff of numerous additional Congressional offices, and, in a West Wing meeting, White House staffers to press for new cosponsors for the Uniting American Families Act and the House Reuniting Families Act, as well as for inclusion of lesbian and gay binational families in comprehensive immigration reform."

News: Mehcad Brooks, Aral Sea, Christian Bale, Hate Crimes, Utah

Senate to vote on hate crimes bill this week. What you can do. Text 'EndHate' to 69866 to tell Congress to vote YES.

Satellite photos released documenting death of Aral Sea in man-made engineering disaster.

Gaunt: Christian Bale reveals shocking weight, hair loss for new film.

Shooting of transgender Syracuse woman Latiesha Green recounted at hate crime murder trial.

Governor David Paterson pushes for September vote on marriage equality in New York.

Neil Patrick Harris confirmed as host of Emmys: "I’m looking forward to the challenge of the show — adding my own voice to it, while honoring the nominees and the entire year in television. But which voice to choose? I’m torn between gangsta, foppish Brit, and robot. Really proud of my robot. We’ll see what happens on the night."

Illinois man who stabbed neighbor 61 times acquitted using 'gay panic' defense: "Joseph Biedermann fatally stabbed his Hoffman Estates neighbor....On Friday, a Cook County jury acquitted him of first-degree murder, buying his claim that he was defending himself against an unwanted sexual advance, his mother confirmed Saturday. Biedermann, 30, killed Terrance Michael Hauser, 38, early on March 5, 2008, in the Barrington Lakes apartment complex on Hassell Road, where they lived in separate units."

David Beckham flaunts Speedo on holiday.

Karl Lagerfeld, bodyguard Sebastian, and model companion Baptiste Giabiconi take in St. Tropez.

Bouquet thrown at Italian wedding causes plane to crash.

Milwaukee's downtown post office removes historical Gay Pride exhibit after four hours: "Letter carrier Dale J. Schuster resigned last week from his position as chairman of the post office diversity team. Postal rules say he can't talk to the media, but in an e-mail to [Milwaukee Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center director Maggi] Cage he said, 'In light of the controversy over the pride month display being taken down, I had no other recourse than to resign. I believe it is important that everybody is treated with dignity and respect, and that nobody should feel excluded.'"

Daylight floods plane as hole opens in plane ceiling on Nashville-Baltimore Southwest Airlines flight.

Dick Cheney's secret CIA assassination program confirmed.

Awkward: Obama's teleprompter crashes to ground.

Mehcad Brooks lets it all hang out on True Blood (nsfw).

Equality Utah names Brandie Balken interim director.

Amnesty International condemns adoption of homophobic legislation in Lithuania: "The law classifies public information about homosexuality and bisexuality alongside material that portrays physical or psychological violence and the display of dead or mutilated bodies. Also prohibited is material that 'encourages gambling, encourages and suggests participation in the games of chance, lotteries and other games that imply easy win' or 'promotes bad eating, sanitary and physical passivity habits'."

News: Britney Spears, Matthew Shepard, Soft Cell, Gay Cruising

Retrial begins over gay Tucson murder: "For the second time, a jury will decide whether a disabled gay Tucson man was stabbed to death over a TV and VCR or as the result of an impulsive rage. Nine years after Mark Truesdell, 29, was slain in his North Campbell Avenue apartment, Ronnie Gene Sartin Jr., 30, is being tried on a first-degree murder charge. Sartin was living in Tucson at the time of the slaying. Sartin was convicted by a jury in 1999 of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The Arizona Court of Appeals ordered the case returned to Superior Court last year for retrial after changes were made to the law regarding how premeditation is explained to jurors."

Halloween scare-a-thon: Chris Crocker recreates Britney Spears cooch flash.

Britney Spears' new album Blackout being called the best of her career.

Utah lawyer on crusade to testify against gay marriage in Vermont: "Monte Stewart will travel more than 2,300 miles this weekend to appear before the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection as the only lawyer opposed to same-sex marriage scheduled to speak Monday at its second public meeting. Stewart, the president of the Utah-based Family Marriage Law Foundation, will explain to the 11-member legislative committee why marriage rights should not be extended to gay and lesbian couples in Vermont. 'The law has clearly been decided in favor of marriage being between one man and one woman,' Stewart said Wednesday morning, from his office in Orem, Utah. 'There are clear reasons why this institution needs to be preserved.'"

Matthew Shepard foundation launches new community site for LGBT youth.

British group Soft Cell to release remix album.

REPORT: Beckham miserable in the U.S.

UK: Police add to patrols at Hampstead Heath's gay cruising spots.

Gay lawyer Aaron Charney settles bias lawsuit with NY firm Sullivan & Cromwell, where he worked: "The settlement, the terms of which are confidential, brings to a close a dispute that had fascinated the New York legal community over the past several months, both with its allegations concerning partners at one of the city’s most prestigious firms and its bizarre twists and turns in the courtroom. In January, Mr Charney, who had worked in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice, sued the firm, accusing several partners of discriminating against him because he is gay and then papering over his complaints."

U.S. asylum denied to gay Mexican.

Lithuanian gay rights conference attacked with smoke bombs.

News: Mika, Antarctica, Mitt Romney, McSteamy, Lesbian Arabs

Mayor of Lithuania's capital Vilnius, has backed bus drivers who refused to drive buses emblazoned with gay tolerance advertisements. Said Mayor Juozas Imbrasas: "We tolerate people of any kind of sexual orientation, nevertheless with priority for traditional family and seeking to promote the family values, we disapprove the public display of homosexualists’ ideas in the city of Vilnius."

Mika bemoans price of fame: "It's sad but I just don't have a private life anymore. I have to focus on my music and I have absolutely no time for anything else."

Human Rights Watch calls on Iran to end home raids and mass detentions intended to "counter immoral behavior": "In Iran, the walls of homes are transparent and the halls of justice are opaque. This ‘morality’ campaign shows how fragile respect for privacy and personal dignity is in Iran today."

Barney Frank tired of people asking him about his sling. Memo: "I appreciate the concern expressed by many about why my arm is in a sling. In order to avoid having to repeat the same conversation, I am sending out this Dear Colleague. I ruptured a tendon in my left arm using a curling machine in a gym, and I had it surgically repaired yesterday at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I’ll be using the sling for a week or two, but I feel fine. Thanks for not asking."

Men's Health is all about great abs but all McSteamy serves up some good face to go with them.

Iraq off the table for Prince Harry: "He is a magnet for jihadists."

Antarctica sees ice melt the size of California...in a single month: "Satellite data collected by the scientists between July 1999 and July 2005 showed clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely...Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310 miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea level."

In Republican debate, Mitt Romney says he'd like to see the size of Guantanamo doubled: "I am glad [detainees] are at Guantanamo. I don’t want them on our soil. I want them on Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo."

Eddie Murphy II: Is rapper Mase a fan of transgender prostitutes?

Lesbian Arabs unite to break down taboos: 'We are Palestinian, we are women, we are gay'.

North Carolina lawmakers argue over whether gays should be included on a list of potential 'bully targets' in schools: "Disagreement focuses on its description of bullying as including acts that are motivated by bias against "any actual or perceived characteristic" of a victim from a list that includes race, gender, disability and sexual orientation. The bill doesn't try to grant special protection to homosexual students - it simply states the fact that they are among the potential victims that school administrators should keep an eye on, said Rep. Rick Glazier, the sponsor. 'Special attention has got to be given to those who suffer the most bullying,' Glazier, D-Cumberland, explained. 'We cannot protect them by pretending that differences don't exist, aren't perceived to exist.'"

News: Pete Wentz, Right Whales, Patty Hearst, Lithuania

Lawyers representing eight same-sex couples in Connecticut who say their civil unions aren't enough and they want gay marriage begin presenting oral arguments at the state Supreme Court today. Lawyer: "A law that says every right, every benefit and every legal aspect of marriage is given to same-sex couples shows that this is nothing more than a legislative policy decision of a special legal institution. The legislature already determined a fundamental sameness between couples. Constitutional law has discarded long ago any notion that a separate institution for a minority can ever be equal."

Endangered right whales seen in record numbers off the coast of Provincetown: “We’ve identified at least 120 whales. That’s out of a (worldwide) population of around 400.”

Lithuanian bus company removes gay tolerance ads after drivers refuse to drive buses carrying them: "Algirdas Krivickas, director of the trolley bus company in the western town of Kaunas, said employees had expressed strong emotions over the adverts which read: 'A gay can serve in the police' and 'A lesbian can work at school'. Drivers had refused to take out the trolley bus bearing the adverts. They had now been removed. 'Some said they feared the trolley bus could be vandalised, some said they do not want friends to laugh at them,' Krivickas said."

Christopher and Anne Rice hold Palm Springs benefit for Lambda Literary Foundation: "We hope to partner with local bookstores, libraries and colleges, holding symposiums and bringing prominent LGBT authors to the desert. It will be good for the Palm Springs area to be recognized as a cultural center for LGBT authors."

Signed in blood: Pete Wentz presents his original artwork.

Barack Obama roars in Kansas City: "The day that this president steps down, the entire world will breath a sigh of relief. After half a trillion dollars spent and after 3,400 lives lost of our bravest young men and women, thousands more wounded, legs severed, nerves shattered, it is time for us to bring this war to a close."

Serbia takes Eurovision Song Contest title as Ukranian drag queen Verka Serdyuchka take second. A blow-by-blow analysis from Rex Wockner.

Russian activists announce St. Petersburg gay pride parade at end of May.

Patty Hearst denies she's been offering advice to future jailbird Paris Hilton: "I must say that my heart goes out to the inmates of the Century Regional Detention Center. Forty-five days with Paris Hilton and the attendant publicity seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Perhaps THEY should be petitioning the Governor for relief?"

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley says that the proposed amendment to ban gay marriage in that state may be unconstitutional and says she will support those challenging it: "She quoted a joint court opinion by Justices John Greaney and Roderick Ireland saying the 2003 SJC decision that legalized same-sex marriage 'may be irreversible because of its holding that no rational basis exist, or can be advanced, to support the definition of marriage' as only between a man and a woman. The opinion also noted that the amendment would discriminate against same-sex couples by removing rights they already had been granted."

Bad lieutenant: Canadian police officer admits downloading an image that said "I love gay porn" onto the computer of a house she was searching.