Charges Against Gay Utah Couple Dropped, Domestic Partnership Opponents Want Privacy, Outgames Hate Crime, Michael Phelps, Leonardo DiCaprio

Salt Lake City, Utah, prosecutor Sim Gill said late Wednesday that the trespassing charges brought against a gay couple, Derek Jones and Matt Aune, have been dropped. On July 9th, the two were detained by the security staff of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after being observed “kissing and hugging.” They were asked to leave, and upon refusing, were detained and cited by the police for trespassing. According to Gill, the couple was not aware that the property was private, belonging to the Mormon Church, and therefore was not “intending” to trespass because they believed the walkway to be public. The incident inspired a number of “kiss-in” demonstrations and served as another reminder of the discord between the gay community and the LDS Church.

The opponents of a new domestic partnership law in Washington State have won an appeal to have a temporary restraining order in place to protect the names of those who signed petitions seeking repeal of the law. The anti-gay group has filed a request with a federal judge seeking to have the names kept private. By law, those names become a matter of public record, and a gay rights organization has made it clear it will publish a list of those who signed seeking a referendum in November.

Jesper Schultz, a thirty-one year man, has been jailed and charged with committing a hate crime after he threw three firecrackers onto a field at the World Outgames in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Michael Phelps was back in the pool Wednesday, despite the threats that he would boycott competition until FINA banned bodysuits, and rallied, emphatically, from yesterday’s loss at the 2009 World Championships by winning the men’s 200 meter butterfly, breaking his own record in the process.

Mr. DiCaprio, Leonardo, alone again in London.