News: Michael Jackson, Presbyterians, Michelle Obama, Unicorn,

How gay is your Shul? "In June, Jewish Mosaic and their partners will start surveying nearly every congregation in the U.S. on their policies and practices of inclusion—for example, whether they offer same-sex spousal benefits, follow a written nondiscrimination policy regarding sexual orientation, or use nonexclusive language on membership forms. When the survey concludes later this summer, Jewish Mosaic will use its findings to create a "resource guide to best practices" on LGBT inclusion for synagogue leaders, who have few places to turn for help with questions on sexuality and gender."

Unicorn discovered in Italy!

Gee, thanks: Bakersfield, California police say they won't arrest couples getting married outside the county clerk's office. "The Rev. Byrd Tetzlaff, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County, told The Chronicle on Tuesday that the police would not allow them to conduct the ceremonies there. On Wednesday, Tetzlaff said it had been a misunderstanding."

Two men punched to pub floor in homophobic UK assault. Police seek witnesses.

Michael Jackson designing clothing line.

The impossible divorce: Rhode Island Superior Court judge refuses to hear case of lesbian couple "but questioned whether the law that barred the women from ending their marriage unconstitutionally denied them a right enjoyed by heterosexual Rhode Islanders."

Police chief in Budapest, Hungary bans gay pride: "Budapest police chief Dr. Gábor Tóth has banned the Gay Pride March, it emerged last night. The march, which Dr. Tóth said would disrupt traffic in the city, was scheduled to take place on Saturday July 5 on Andrássy, one of Budapest’s main streets."

Presbyterian church of Wales in harassment and discrimination lawsuit: "Giving evidence on Tuesday, Mr Price, who is openly gay, said he worked alongside Ms Jones at the church's 250-year-old Trefeca centre, a 37-bed retreat near Brecon, Powys, visited by church groups from around Britain. He told the hearing he was forced to quit as the assistant manager because of Ms Jones's ceaseless comments about sex, which included calling him a 'stupid poof'."

Pittsburgh Presbyterian minister remains under fire for conducting same-sex union ceremonies: " A Presbyterian minister from Pittsburgh still faces two charges that she conducted a prohibited gay wedding ceremony. But the Rev. Janet Edwards will not face charges for performing the ceremony improperly when her church trial resumes in October. Church officials have dropped charges alleging Edwards committed errors when she omitted Bible readings and references to Christian traditions in the ceremony. Edwards made the changes because one of the lesbians she married in 2005 is Buddhist."

Oprah tops Forbes' richest celebrities list — again.

High School Musical stage production outs character that was "coded gay" in the films. Playwright: "I wanted to present Ryan as something from my own past, a version of me, I guess — though he's a lot better dancer than I ever was! In the movie, the character has a gay tint. But in the stage version, I wanted to more fully articulate that tint and say, hey, this kid is who he is. Yes, I consider him a young gay guy without ever having to say it. I’d rather say it with behavior and action. And we do." Film role was played by Milk's Lucas Grabeel.

Matt Damon to play rugby captain in new film.

FOX calls Michelle Obama "Obama's Baby Mama".

TIME: California's Gay Marriage Rush. "A report released by the Williams Institute at UCLA law school says fully half of the state's 102,000 gay couples could wed in the next three years. UCLA law professor Brad Sears told TIME that the number is in keeping with experience in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is also legal, and Vermont, which permits civil unions. Another 67,000 or so are expected to arrive from other states, says Sears, the report's co-author."

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News: Tim Gill, Penis Thieves, Singapore, Anti-Gay T-shirt

Gay activist and philanthropist Tim Gill scaring the crap out of the religious right. Pat Robertson: "What are the Christians doing about this? The answer is 'absolutely zip'. There was an organization that I founded but it's not there anymore. To my knowledge, there is no other Christian grassroots organization that is even coming CLOSE to what Tim Gill is doing on the left for homosexuals."

Brazilian gay magazine DOM launches online.

Police arrest 13 men in the Congo for stealing and shrinking penises.

Toby Maguire gets his bear on.

Singapore's state-owned television station was fined $11,040 for broadcasting a program that featured a gay couple and their adopted child: " The Straits Times reported that Singapore's Media Development Authority said the episode of home and decor series Find and Design, in which the host helped the couple decorate a nursery, 'normalizes and promotes a gay lifestyle.' The pro-government newspaper said the censor had also objected to scenes of the couple and their baby as well as the host's acknowledgement of them as a family, because it broke a rule 'which disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorize gay lifestyles.'"

Pittsburgh gay rights advocate Randal G. "Randy" Forrester dies of cancer at 60.

UK mother jailed for anti-gay abuse, daughter given supervision: "Canterbury magistrates heard the pair, both of The Halt, Whitstable, carried out a campaign of hate between 13 March and 17 May 2007. They called the men names and Reeves drove her car at one of them. The court was told that the pair began abusing Michael Harris and Shires Crichton, of Kingston, Kent, when both men sided with another neighbour in an ongoing dispute. During the sentencing, the chairman of the magistrates told Reeves: 'Although there was no evidence of violence, the psychological affect on the victims has been far reaching. In your case there are strong aggravating factors. Those factors are that you made homophobic gestures and remarks over an extended period and you showed no remorse.'"

Neil Patrick Harris opens up to Howard Stern about his sexuality.

Lipstick Jungle hottie Robert Buckley may want to use some sunscreen.

Cynthia Nixon making plans to marry.

Is Chace Crawford being gay framed on Craigslist?

Now that's a chest.

Greg Siff talks about his new play The Nothing Boys opening on May 3 in L.A.

Court rules that teen can wear "Be Happy, Not Gay" T-shirt, reversing two earlier rulings: "In issuing this reversal, though, the court basically upheld the validity of the Naperville school's rule forbidding derogatory comments, oral or written, that refer to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. 'High school students are not adults, schools are not public meeting halls, children are in school to be taught by adults rather than to practice attacking each other with wounding words, and school authorities have a protective relationship and responsibility to all the students,' says the court's opinion, written by Judge Richard Posner."

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Pittsburgh Bishop Adds Anti-Gay Voice to PA Marriage Hearing

Supporters and opponents of a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania turned out for a hearing on Thursday.

Bishop David Zubik, head of Pittsbugh's Roman Catholic Diocese showed up to spit some bigotry:

"I come to you today as a pastor, a pastor with a desire to testify on behalf of one of the oldest institutions of humanity -- marriage itself. At a time when we should be engaged in doing all we can to strengthen the family, we are facing cultural forces that want to so water down the definition of marriage that it could apply to any human relationship, or to no relationship at all."

He tempered his remarks with a call for tolerance: "Church teaching regarding the dignity of homosexual persons is clear. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity."

Added Zubik to local media later: "I felt it was very important for me to come here today. God really has defined marriage as it is. It's part of natural law. It's the fabric of society. And I think what's so important about it is that - we talk about marriage we also have to connect that very intimately into what the family is about."

Plenty of opponents were on hand to counter the Bishop, however: "Standing in front of the Pittsburgh City Council chamber with a number of vocal opponents of the amendment, state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, yesterday vowed to fight the bill every step of the way. 'Assuming it even makes it out of the Senate, I will fight to make sure it doesn't see the light of day,' he said."

Marriage law draws crowd [post-gazette]
Bishop Zubik Supports Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage [wpxi]

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Alleged Self-Sportrait: Jeff Reed

A cameraphone shot by a man alleged to be Pittsburgh Steeler kicker Jeff Reed has found its way to the internets, revealing something that we've heard rumors about but never, until now, had the evidence. Yes folks, the terrifying trend of extreme manscaping has found its way to the National Football League. The NSFW shot, after the jump...

Yep... That's a Kicker's Dong [deadspin]

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Steeler Joey Porter Blames Media for Outrage Over Gay Slur

Joey Porter is mad the NFL fined him for calling another player a "fag" on camera so he's blaming it on the media. He tells ESPN:

"I just don't understand how you can get a DUI or fail a drug test and nothing happens. You say something, you get fined. That just don't make any sense. You'd think if you get a DUI or something, you should get fined. If you fail a drug test, you should get fined. But for saying a word, you get fined. That's kind of backward to me. There was enough publicity about it. Y'all keep talking about it. Y'all going to make them do something. If y'all wouldn't have just kept talking about it, [the fine] wouldn't have happened. Y'all need a story so you keep talking about it. So they say, all right, let's fine him then because everybody seems to be upset about it."

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Steeler Joey Porter Slapped with $10K Fine for Gay Slur [tr]
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Pittsburgh Steeler Joey Porter Calls Opponent a Fag [tr]

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Man Arrested for Murder of Pittsburgh Area Antiques Dealer

Police arrested Orville Trail as a suspect in the murder of Ira Wyne, 62, of New Eagle, Pennsylvania after Wyne was found naked in his basement after apparently being beaten to death.

Trail, who police reportedly found "covered in blood", said that he beat Wyne with a vase, candelabra, and picture after Wyne made "an unwanted sexual advance" according to KDKA News.

Police said that Trail claims Wyne, who made his living as an antiques dealer, owed him money.

Trail is being charged with aggravated assault, criminal homicide, robbery, and murder.

Elizabeth Man Charged In New Eagle Murder [kdka]

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News: Franco Zeffirelli, Mexico, 'Fag' Students, London HIV Stats

Conservative party in Mexico considering filing challenge to Mexico City's new gay union law, saying it violates rules in that country's constitution which protect the family. "City legal counsel Maria Estela Rios, however, called the argument 'absurd' because the law guarantees legal rights for same-sex couples, but does not legalize gay marriage."

Pittsburgh area school board Vice President William Scherfel refers to students in gay-straight alliance as "fags".

Not funny: Seinfeld's Michael Richards spews racist tirade at the Laugh Factory.

What will happen in the next 50 years? More than 70 scientists offer their forecasts.

Carol Channing gets the last word in on the interview that tried to crush her gay-friendly reputation.

New York's HX acquires Boston's In Newsweekly.

Robbie Williams says he'd have sex with a man to save an animal's life: "I wouldn't enjoy it but I could do it under pain of death, or if it meant saving a baby bunny from being burned alive." I'd be willing to bet he's saved a few rabbits already.

Director Franco Zeffirelli said that a priest put the moves on him as a boy, in Catholic school, but it seems he quite enjoyed it: "Sexual abuse is putting it too strongly. There was no penetration. I felt sorry for the poor man. If I had realised what he had in mind, I would probably have given him what he wanted. I thought the priest felt a special affection for me, he was always kissing me. (Homosexual experiences) are not always bad for boys. I don't think they make you homosexual. Sexual choice is made for you early on in life anyway - if you like girls, you like girls."

Tom and Katie's Cruiseazy wedding photo.

One out of every ten gay men in London is HIV positive as is one out of every 25 across the UK, according to a new report.

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