News: Aurora, Bieber's Blunt, Catholic Hate Group Petition, NZ

Did you get a chance to see Betty White on The Tonight Show this week?

Oh, look, it's anti-gay GOP House Speaker John Boehner with the new gay Congressmen Sean Patrick Maloney and Mark Pocan and their lovely husbands and families.

There's currently a We the People petition demanding the White House to designate the Catholic Church a hate group because of Pope Benedict's repeated denunciations of gay people. Less than 2,000 have signed said petition, which was posted on Christmas.

From NBC News: "The U.S. Supreme Court is set to tackle gay marriage in a matter of months, but legislative action this week in Rhode Island and Illinois shows that supporters aren't in wait-and-see mode. Buoyed by ballot victories in four states in November, they're now on the offensive in two more; wins would mean that more than 20 percent of Americans live in places that have approved same-sex marriage."

Could the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality cases be 3-3-3, not 5-4? "Say, for example, that three justices vote to reverse on the merits, three vote to affirm based on the 9th Circuit's opinion, and three vote to dismiss the appeal on jurisdictional grounds. In that case, I would argue, Proposition 8 is dead and same-sex marriage is once again available and recognized in California. The result would be a brief per curiam explaining the disposition of votes, and at least three separate opinions – maybe even more than that – to chart the outcome. No national precedent would be set in such a case."

Are fans, not players, to blame for keeping European soccer players in the closet? From The Telegraph: "Part of football's appeal is its unreconstructed, largely masculine, largely working-class attitudes. It is easy to imagine that a gay footballer would dread the reaction at away grounds were he to come out."

Almost 54% of New Zealand voters support marriage equality, according to a new poll. Only 38.1% do not. Meanwhile, with regard to the always controversial right to die question, about 60% believe a terminally ill person has the right to request doctor-assisted euthanasia.

Justin Bieber with a blunt.

Clueless photo shoot.

Christians against yoga, one of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise in the world.

Three people were found dead inside a home in Aurora, Colorado, the site of last summer's deadly movie theater shooting, after local SWAT officials shot a gunman who took them hostage. One hostage escaped and called police, leading to a nearly six-hour stand-off.

Either because officials thought them inappropriate or because venues backed out, about half-a-dozen gun shows within an hour drive of Newtown, CT, where the Sandy Hook shooting happened last month, have been canceled.

Peter David is the straight author and comic book writer who makes sure gay heroes Rictor and Shatterstar are prominently featured in the Marvel title X-Factor. Late last year David had a stroke, and he needs your help down the road to recovery.

Here's Ryan Seacrest running around shirtless in St. Barts.

Advice to President Obama.

The return of the Coca-Cola polar bears.

New Zealand Church Thinks It's Time For Jesus To Come Out

New Zealand church St. Matthew's in Auckland, New Zealand, also known as St. Matthew-in-the-City, is celebrating the holidays with this billboard, which reads, "It's Christmas. Time for Jesus to come out."

According to the church's Reverend, Glynn Card, the billboard's meant to make believers, particularly those who are anti-gay, ask themselves whether the Christian messiah's message would be hampered by potential same-sex desire.

Reverend Glynn Cardy said the sign was about trying to lift the humanity of Jesus.

"The fact is we don't know what his sexual orientation was."

While some conservative Christians might point to the more absolutist parts of the Old Testament as proof of the Messiah's sexual preferences, Cardy said that homosexuality was not even a word until the 19th century. Any mention of it would therefore have been a mistranslation.

More importantly the billboard was meant to ask whether Jesus' desires in the bedroom would make a difference for those of faith.

"Would it make a difference if he was gay? Would that change the picture for you? Would it mean what we revere about him changes?"

You may remember Cardy and Auckland-based St. Matthew's from when their "Gaydar" billboard, meant to protest homophobia within the Anglican Communion, was vandalized a few years back.

Ian McKellen Fights For Marriage Equality In New Zealand: VIDEO

Actor, activist and Knight Sir Ian McKellen recorded a video for the Green Party urging New Zealanders to support marriage equality there, a nation McKellen points out was the first to give women the right to vote.

He also says that he hopes by the time he gets back to Middle Earth, New Zealand's nickname, he hopes he can get married there. Is there something he's not telling us?

Watch McKellen's video AFTER THE JUMP.

[via Joe. My. God.]

Ian McKellen Blasts New Zealand Prime Minister for His 'Careless' and 'Damaging' Use of the Word 'Gay'

Yesterday I mentioned that New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key used the word "gay" as an insult in an interview with a radio host, suggesting that the host was a weak player at golf because his jacket was "gay".

Actor Sir Ian McKellen blasted Key on his website, writing:

New Zealand has an undeserved reputation (amongst those who have never visited) as living a little in the past, not quite up-to-date with the world elsewhere.  As a regular visitor, I've often pointed out how, on social issues, the Kiwis have lead the world - first country to give women the vote, a nuclear-free stronghold and in the vanguard of civil rights for gay people.

Which brings me to John Key, the prime minister of New Zealand.  Recently in a light-hearted radio interview (see below) he referred to his host wearing a "gay red top," by which he meant, apparently, "a weird red shirt."  Defending himself later, he said he was using the word in the sense that his children used it and not in any way to disparage gay people.  Anyway, he said, the word was in the dictionary.  So of course are many other words that can give offence.

Nevertheless, Mr Key should watch his language.  I'm currently touring secondary schools in UK, attacking homophobia in the playground and discouraging kids from the careless use of "gay" which might make their gay friends (and teachers) feel less about themselves.  So even as he supports the proposal to introduce same-gender marriages in New Zealand, I do hope John Key listens to his critics and appreciates their concern.  Careless talk damages lives.

Thank you, Sir.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Under Fire for Using the Word 'Gay' as an Insult: VIDEO

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key is under fire for mocking a radio host's red jacket, suggesting he's a weak golfer because the jacket's color is "gay", the New Zealand Herald reports:

"What you're wearing is an absolute disgrace. You parade yourself as some sort of centre-right interested community leader and you're in the red," he said. Later in the segment he described Mackay's top as "gay" in an exchange about golf. "You're munted mate. You're never going to make it. You've got that gay red top on."

The comments have been ridiculed on Twitter, with comedian Guy Williams saying "John Key is quickly becoming to New Zealand what Borat was to Kazakhstan."

Other Twitter users said the use of "gay" as an insult made Mr Key appear homophobic.

Today Mr Key said he used the term "gay" to mean "weird". He said he picked up the term from his children and had no intention of seeming homophobic. Asked at his post-Cabinet press conference whether he was homophobic, Mr Key said: "No, I'm voting for gay marriage, I'm hardly homophobic - I led the charge on it."

Mr Key agreed it was an unfortunate use of words but said: "a hell of a lot of people would use it and the common use of it is in the Oxford dictionary".

"Young people use it all the time, I don't think too many people would be offended by it. If someone is I apologise for it," he said.

Key was already under fire for comments he had made earlier in the day, calling footballer David Beckham "thick as batsh*t".

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Biologists Label Bird 'Transgender'

In New Zealand, a threatened bellbird stuns biologists.

Treehugger writes:

Recently, at Zealandia eco-sanctuary in New Zealand, biologists were surprised to discover that one of their newest animal arrivals seemed genetically predisposed to shunning those normally cut and dry distinctions of sexual dimorphism. Routine DNA testing on a young bellbird hatched there 18 months ago indicated that it was female, but as it grew things became clearly more complicated than that.

Instead of only growing the white feather pattern found in female bellbirds, this individual showed distinct signs of a male's dark plumage as well. Even the bird's behavior seemed indicative of male bird traits, such as in vocalizing in distinctively masculine calls and acting uncharacteristically territorial, leading biologists to declare the bird 'transgender'.

While other bird species have displayed 'transgender' traits, this is the first bellbird observed to have them.