Alberta Announces It Is Removing Homosexuality From List Of Mental Disorders, Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association Causes Controversy Donating And Partnering With Egale Canada To Fight Bulling, Equality Utah Achieves Ten In 2010 Goal, Tom Hardy Wears Wig Remains Shirtless, Prince Harry Parties A Tad Too Hard

An update on a previous post, the Globe and Mail reporting that Alberta announced Wednesday it is removing homosexuality from its diagnostic guide to mental disorders, the decision arriving only 35 years after the psychiatric profession did the same. No one seems able or willing to provide an appropriate explanation as to why homosexuality as a mental disorder alongside bestiality and pedophilia remained on the province’s list for so long, although many suspect the reason is a political one. The move to delist homosexuality arrives after a reporter Tuesday asked the Alberta Health and Wellness department why it remained despite promises from the Conservative government to remove it as far back as the 1990’s.

From the Toronto Sun, the head of the Ontario English Catholic Teacher Association union is defending a donation and a partnership with the gay rights advocacy group Egale Canada, an organization that is frequently at odds with the Catholic Church and Catholic school boards. James Ryan, the president of OECTA, whose membership is an estimated 45,000 teachers province-wide, says that a $1,000 donation to support Egale’s Web site mygsa.ca, a part of their national safer school program promoting gay-straight alliance clubs, does not represent a conflict, Ryan saying “I don’t actually see the contradiction. OECTA decided to join Egale because both OETCA and Egale are committed to fighting any type of bullying. Certainly the Catholic Church is against bullying.”

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that one more Utah community – Grand County -has passed legislation prohibiting discrimination against gays and transgender resident in areas of employment and housing. That attains a goal announced earlier this year by Equality Utah, the gay state-wide advocacy group, that launched a “Ten in 2010” campaign, that began when Salt Lake City, in late November, 2009, became the first in Utah to ban employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, nine more cities and counties following the capital city’s lead. Brandie Balken, the executive director of Equality Utah, said “We now have a culture of ... Utahans, as a whole, stating that we don’t believe in discrimination in any form and all hard-working people deserve to have a job and roof over their heads if they can do the job and pay the rent. Each of these local governments has set an example for their residents and for business owners and property owners. They’ve also set a good example for our legislature.”

The first look at Tom Hardy, shirtless (natch), wearing a wig (dreadful) on the set of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, based on the John le Carre novel of the same name.

The rascally red-head Prince Harry spotted Tuesday (actually early Wednesday) leaving the Public Nightclub in London.