For reasons all her own, actress Cynthia Nixon has given the Advocate magazine a clarification about her sexual orientation. She has been under pressure since a controversial remark she made to the New York Times seemed to indicate that being gay is "a choice" for some.  In her latest statement, Nixon still maintains that people shouldn't be "pigeon-holed into one cultural ... [Read]

Gay radio talker Michelangelo Signorile interviewed Tennessee state Senator Stacey Campfield about his pending, "Don't Say Gay" bill. That measure would essentially prevent any discussion by teachers about gay lives or references to homosexuality. What Signorile got in response was pretty stunning. The Tennesse senator let loose a plethora of ignorant comments about the "nature" of homosexuality, bestiality, and the combination ... [Read]

Two hundred people of faith gathered in the city of Frederick yesterday to tell legislators the time has come to legalize civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Several Maryland officials attended the packed meeting including Attorney General Doug Gansler, Delegate Galen Clagett (D-Frederick Co.), Senator Ron Young (D-Frederick & Washington Cos.) and Senator Rob Garagiola (D-Montgomery Co.). They were given standing ovations by a diverse ... [Read]

Three important state legislators helped to rally support for Maryland's same-sex marriage bill on Sunday, Jan. 29, at a church in the city of Frederick. Delegate Galen Clagett, Senator Ron Young, and Senator Rob Garagiola (all Democrats) were joined by Attorney General Doug Gansler. Together they addressed a capacity crowd of 200, most of whom were there to represent a ... [Read]

Maryland's Attorney General, Doug Gansler, joined a standing-room only crowd at a church in Frederick on Sunday to support gay marriage. Gansler called Maryland's current ban against same-sex marriage "unconstitutional." He then explained his reasoning for supporting equality for gay and lesbian couples. Gansler also offered his take on the nature of negative feedback from Republicans and religious leaders. And ... [Read]

Edwin O'Brien, Baltimore's soon-to-be Cardinal, used a speech this week to denounce marriage rights for Maryland's gay and lesbian couples. He angrily attacked the pending passage of marriage bills in the House and Senate. Maryland's Governor, Martin O'Malley, is a strong supporter of marriage equality and he helped to introduce the bills this past Tuesday. On Wednesday, O'Brien put his own spin ... [Read]

This week, Baltimore, MD is host to a large gathering of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activsts who are attending the NGLTF's 24th Creating Change Conference. Several young college students have posted videos on YouTube discussing their personal experiences at the conferences "queer" institutes, along with theirs reactions to speakers and their thoughts about the effectiveness of specialized workshops. Topics ... [Read]

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum was twice this week the target of "glitter bombing" -- once in South Carolina and once in Florida. Individuals were caught on camera shouting out at Santorum (whose anti-gay views are well documented) that he should stop the hate and that he is a bigot. The protesters also indicated that they self-identified as members of ... [Read]

Dennis Shepard, appeared at a press conference sponsored by the Tennessee Equality Project this week. He directed his comments toward parents about the need to hold the state's legislators responsible for protecting gay youth against bullying at school and online. He referenced the suicides of two Tennessee teens in his speech -- Phillip Parker and Jacob Rogers -- who were ... [Read]

A number of major corporations are stepping forward to show their support for marriage equality in Washington state. The Seattle Times has reposted a message today from Starbucks executive vice president, Kalen Holmes, that reads, in part: Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples.... This important ... [Read]

"I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line 'I've been straight and I've been gay, and gay is better.' And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for ... [Read]

“She was all about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. She repeated that about four or five times, so I just felt I couldn’t get through to her. ... Maybe she thought she could get through to me.” Openly lesbian tennis legend Martina Navratilova on her last conversation with fellow legend Margaret Court, the Australian champ who now ministers ... [Read]

A 14-year-old gay boy, Phillip Parker, took his own life on Friday. Reports are coming out that he was the focus of bullying at Gordonsville High School in Tennessee. His parents, Gena and Phillip Parker, told WSMV that their son had been treated badly because he was gay. His mother told cameras at a vigil on Saturday, "That was his ... [Read]

Headless torso shots and dark sunglasses may not have been enough to protect some Grindr users' accounts from unauthorized access by a "hacker." According to an article written by Ben Grubb of Australia's Fairfax Media, the popular gay hook-up app for phones and tablets has been found to have security vulnerabilities. The article claims that an unnamed hacker created a website ... [Read]

A new survey released by Patrick E. Gonzales' Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc. could indicate a small but important decline in support for same-sex marriages in Maryland over the past year.  The company conducted three surveys over the past 12 months -- January 2011, October 2011, and the newly released January 2012. Some 800 registered Maryland voters were questioned by telephone each ... [Read]

'We found a place in Harlem that a woman had been living in for 40-odd years, and it was roomy and reasonably priced. We went to L.A. and got this moving truck and collected his mattress and bed frame and some stuff we each had in storage, and we started a journey across the country. We stopped in Albuquerque, ... [Read]

"Gay guys control the fashion industry and the casting industry and the whole Hollywood look. And gays like bodies that remind them of a 14 year old-boy. Guys like curves. Guys like curves. Absolutely, positively. It's biological, because a woman with curves looks like she can bear your children successfully and that's biologically what a man is looking for. So ... [Read]

"The Hollywood Foreign Press have warned me that if I insult you or cause any controversy, they would invite me back next year.... I'm not to libel anyone. And I must not mention Mel Gibson this year. Not his private life, his politics, his recent films or especially not Jodie Foster's Beaver. I haven't seen it myself. I've spoken ... [Read]

Christopher Plummer took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Hal Fields, an older man only coming out in his later years, in Beginners at tonight's 69th annual Golden Globe Awards. In accepting his award, Plummer was playful to his co-star, Ewan McGregor, who acted the role of his son, Oliver, ... [Read]

ABC has cancelled Work It after only two episodes. From The Hollywood Reporter: The network has pulled the critically panned cross-dressing comedy -- a project only ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee seemed to love -- after two episodes. Repeats of Tim Allen's freshman comedy Last Man Standing will air in its place beginning Tuesday at 8:30 p.m…. Work It ... [Read]

Good, bad or whatever ... the famous have lots to say about LGBT issues George Clooney: I think the world is changing and [same-sex marriage is] becoming less and less of an issue and I think it shouldn't be long now. I think younger people are looking at this like, 'Who cares?' Kristy McNichol: I'm overwhelmed with the love and ... [Read]

"Like any sports fan, I can appreciate her sporting achievements. But I don't think that gives her license to spread the kind of hateful comments that she is spreading. And in fact I think it's irresponsible for somebody to use their sporting fame to spread these kinds of views." Former AMA president Professor Kerryn Phelps, who is spearheading criticism over ... [Read]

Good, bad or whatever ... the famous have a lot to say about LGBT issues. Chely Wright: THIS is what happens when leaders like RICK SANTORUM declares that GAY=SIN. EricJames Borges, 19, killed himself Renee Stubbs: I think that Margaret [Court] has her beliefs and I don't preach against them … but I don't go out publicly and say something ... [Read]

A video appeared on YouTube this week featuring an unidentified teenaged girl complaining about transgender "boys" being allowed into the Girl Scouts. At the end of the video she calls for a boycott of the ubiquitous Girl Scout cookies. In response, many people on Twitter and other social media sites are clamoring for LGBT rights supporters to buy lots of Girl ... [Read]

Orlando, Florida began registering domestic partnerships for some legal recognition. The scope of the registration is limited to being within the city's boundaries. Any two adults who are currently single, unrelated, and share a "mutual residence" can pay $30 to register at City Hall.  The contract grants certain benefits of "health care facility visitation, health care decisions, funeral/burial decisions, correctional ... [Read]

The Pope's anti-gay marriage statements made it to the set of ABC's The View on Tuesday. Despite their mixed bag of terminology and examples, they at least seemed put off by Joseph Ratzinger's insinuation that gay marriages threaten "the future of humanity."  Barbara Walters discussed the Elton John and husband David Furnish's son, Zachary, who was born in December 2010 via ... [Read]

Good, bad or whatever ... the famous are spouting off about LGBT issues Joel Osteen to Oprah Winfrey: I'm not into excluding people. Jesus can reveal himself to anybody.... Absolutely [gay people are included]. Anybody is. You know, Oprah, we sometimes make a -- I say we, maybe the Christian community -- makes a bigger deal out of being gay, but ... [Read]

The ruler of the Vatican City State, Joseph Ratzinger (aka Pope Benedict XVI), appears to have taken another antagonistic swipe at the increasing acceptance of gay marriages by young people. In a statement presented to Vatican Diplomats on January 9, the Pope seemed to send a thinly veiled message about the matter. Sitting on his gilded throne, Ratzinger first addressed ... [Read]

"[AIDS] is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers and to build bridges of compassion." Elton John said so, as reported today by The Guardian, in explaining the reason for his writing a new book, Love Is the Cure, to ... [Read]

Good, bad or whatever ... the famous are spouting off about LGBT issues Tom Arnold: These debates R a disgrace. Will people vote 4 guys whose sole platform seems to be"hate Obama and gay people and all will be well" ... My gay brother is a conservative Rep but I believe he deserves equal rights. Joy Behar: Why is a ... [Read]

"She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different." Jeff Ballard, publicist for Kristy McNichol, who is coming out in this week's edition of People Magazine. McNichol, 49, has been out of the public eye since the mid-'90s. She starred in the popular TV sitcom Empty Nest and television ... [Read]

Gay marriage and contraception foe Rick Santorum was booed again Friday for proclaiming that gay relationships are not worthy of marriage rights. He quoted the Declaration of Independence's use of "Nature's God" to justify his argument that marriage benefits are a privilege which only heterosexual couples deserve: ''Marriage is a privilege. It is not a right. It is privilege given ... [Read]

Cardinal Francis George, head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, said Friday that he was sorry for comparing that city's huge Gay Pride Parade to a Ku Klux Klan march. He apologized, in a statment on the Archdiocese website, for the pain his words caused and that he had been fearing for "the church's liberty": ''During a recent TV interview, speaking ... [Read]

First, Kristy McNichol, a well-known TV star from the 1970s & 1980s, finally told the world, at 49, she is gay. Her publicist is quoted by People magazine as saying: ''She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different.'' Good, bad or whatever ... the famous have a lot ... [Read]

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum was in New Hampshire Thursday trying to impress voters at an event called the New England College Convention. He was reportedly asked by one man about his opposition to same sex marriages.  Santorum attempted to make an argument about boundaries on the definition of marriage by likening the inclusion of same-sex couples to polygamous relationships. ... [Read]

Dan Savage, the gay writer, sex advice columnist, and creator of the It Gets Better Project, appeared on The Young Turks today to discuss the legitimacy of Rick Santorum's Presidential bid. Santorum came in second place at yesterday's Iowa Caucus, a gathering of Midwestern Republican voters. He was only eight votes short of beating Mitt Romney. That symbolic vote was ... [Read]

Governor Chris Gregoire of Washington state held a press conference today to announce her support for the legalization of lesbian and gay marriage. The state currently has a domestic partnership law, but not full marriage rights for same-sex couples. In a press release from her office, Gregoire is quoted as saying (WA.gov):  "It’s time, it’s the right thing to do, ... [Read]

The new year ushered in legal recognition for many gay and lesbian couples in two new states. Hawaii and Delaware began registering same-sex civil unions on January 1. Meanwhile, in Washington state, there may be movement toward marriage. Hawaii's Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie signed a civil unions bill nearly one year ago after the state House and Senate approved that bill in February ... [Read]