Gay Newspaper Boxes Vandalised In Vancouver, National Suicide Prevention Task Force Formed, Barcelona To Build Monument To Gays And Lesbians, Out Military Social Media Site Launched, Kellan Lutz, Tom Felton

Vancouver, British Columbia police are investigating after at least fourteen boxes containing the national gay and lesbian newspaper Xtra were vandalised between December 25th and the 29th, the Globe and Mail reporting that the damage was contained to the downtown and that in most cases the glass on the front was broken and the papers stolen. Gareth Kirby, the senior manager of the Xtra publisher Pink Triangle Press, said he is concerned that the vandalism is an obvious threat to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community, saying “They’re not taking out an anger against Xtra. There’s something about our community that’s being targeted here. I worry about an escalation.” Ken Coolen, the president of the Vancouver Pride Society, called the actions “cowardly,” adding “It’s frustrating and it’s disappointing. We’re going into 2011. It sounds like one or a group of people who are homophobic and looking at a way to lash out against the gay community. I guess this is a way of them doing it without thinking they’re going to be in as much trouble.” Constable Jana McGuinness, a spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, said that while it is remains too soon to categorise the vandalism as a hate crime “it certainly does look targeted.”

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention announced Thursday that is creating a new task force to handle suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, a press release stating that the LGBT Youth Task Force will be co-lead by Kevin Jennings, who is the Assistant Deputy Secretary Office of Safe and Drug-Free School, U.S. Department of Education, and Charles Robbins, the Executive Director of The Trevor Project, the leading national organisation focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among LGBT youth. Robbins said that “This task force will bring together the best minds in the country to combat suicide and make sure that every LGBT youth has the opportunity to grow up in a supportive, accepting community and to enter adulthood safely.”

Barcelona is going to erect a monument to gays, lesbians, and transgender people who have been persecuted and repressed “throughout history” authorities announced Thursday, the AFP reports. A statement from city hall said that the monument will be unveiled in February, although the exact site of the pink triangular stone sculpture has not yet been determined, but a spokesperson did suggest that the square outside the Sacred Heart basilica or Sagrada Familia “is one location that has been proposed.” An inscription will read “In memory of the gays, lesbians, transsexual people who have suffered persecution and repression throughout history, Barcelona 2011.”

Reuters reports on outmilitary.com, a new social media site for gay and lesbian military members that launched a little over a week ago in the wake of the repeal of the United States military policy that prohibited openly gay service personal. To date the site has just over 50 members, but its backers think that will quite quickly change in the coming months as the repeal takes complete effect. Out Military creator and designer John McKinnon, says he built the site in an attempt to support others looking for similar friends, and thinks “a social networking site specifically for that niche of gay and lesbian service members is a natural fit,” adding that the site “might be just a little bit early, but it’s not too early to join.”

Thursday, Kellan Lutz was seen in Las Vegas, Nevada attending the gala opening of the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan.

A paler shade of white Tom Felton spotted in Miami, Florida Friday.

Two Wyoming Legislators Want To Introduce Law Defining Marriage As That Only Existing Between Man And Woman

The Torrington Telegram is reporting that Wyoming State Representative Owen Petersen (R-Mountain View) and State Senator Curt Meier (R-LaGrange) plan to co-sponsor a resolution at the 2011 General Session that would permit voters to determined whether or not the state should grant constitutional authority to same sex marriage. On September 24th, 2010, Wyoming joined nine other states signing a brief that said the federal court system violated its judicial authority when it ruled that the United States Constitution should include same sex couples in the realm of legal marriage. Currently Wyoming law defines marriage as “the legal union between a man and woman,” but the state still recognises marriages performed out of state, suggesting, therefore, that same sex marriages licences obtained elsewhere are valid. The proposed resolution would make explicit the status of marriage licenses obtained out of state, and, the legislators, hope, grant the state, not the federal court system, the final word on the constitutional authority of gay marriage. In 2009, legislators proposed allowing a vote on an amendment to the state constitution that would bar out of state same marriages, but that failed. Meier, who admits that in the past several years a number of social issue proposals have been killed in committee, says “I really think the resolution I’m bringing forward is about the right of the people to vote on this issue. We need to define Wyoming’s community standard and give people the opportunity to vote.”

Anti-Gay Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James Remains Dangerous And Defiant, Australian Gay Pub Can Longer Ask The Sexual Orientation Of Prospective Patrons, Deceased At Age 20 Secret Sperm Donor Fathered Lesbian Aunt’s Children At Age 15, Chris Brown Apologises For Homophobic Racist Twitter Rant, Reggie Bush Asks Whether “No Homo” Is Offensive

The Charlotte Observer reports that the vehemently anti-gay Mecklenburg County, North Carolina commissioner Bill James says he will not apologise for comments he made earlier this week categorising homosexuals as “sexual predators.” James said Thursday that “People are entitled to their opinion, and that includes me. I don’t expect people to (always) agree with me. It’s a political discussion and I wouldn’t have raised it on my own, but Jennifer (Roberts) decided to wade in on it.” His remarks came in an e-mail exchange among commissioners regarding the recent repeal on the United States military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, Roberts, the chair of Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, having announced she wanted to send a letter thanking four local members of Congress for voting in favour of the repeal. In an e-mail criticising the gesture, James wrote “"Homosexuals are sexual predators. Allowing homosexuals to serve in the US military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining US military readiness and effectiveness not the least of which is the current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share showers with those they are attracted to."James’ comments have been roundly condemned and an online petition asking that country commissioners censure James continues to gather signatures.

From Australia and news.com a report on a gay men’s pub that has lost its unique right to ask people their sexuality prior to allowing them admittance, the Peel Hotel’s three-year-old exemption to anti-discrimination laws revoked to comply with Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights’ privacy protection provisions. In 2007, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal granted the Collingwood bar the right to refuse entry to “people who do not identify as homosexual males” if the staff believed that their presence would adversely affect the pub’s nature as a gay bar. A new exemption, granted earlier this month, allows Peel staff “to explain the nature of the venue to prospective patrons ... and to permit them choose whether to enter or not to enter.” The Peel pub can still prevent entry by those it believes may threaten the comfort of safety of patrons of the pub’s nature as a gay bar. The Peel chose not to oppose the changes.

The Daily Telegraph reports on the parents of Charlie Lowden, who died last year at the age of 20 following a routine hernia operation, Charles and Lynn now coming to terms with the fact the two children they thought to be their nephew and niece are actually their biological grandchildren, as years earlier, at the age of 15, Charlie offered to donate sperm to his aunt Sarah Ashman, who is now 40, and is Charlie’s mother’s younger sister, and her partner, Claire, who is now 30. Ashman first gave birth to Charlton, who is 5, then Sarah, who is 2. The sperm donation was unofficial – United Kingdom law stipulates sperm donors must be between the ages of 18 and 45. Mrs. Lowden says that now knowing Charlton is her grandson is “just like having our Charlie back. We’ve got the next best thing to him and it’s not a secret anymore. I’m absolutely delighted. He did it for a reason and he has left a legacy.” Charlie, a scaffolder, died in December, 2009 after being discharged from Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland following surgery for a hernia. His parents are arguing that the hospital failed to give their son proper protection from blood clots and have begun legal proceedings. A pre-inquest is scheduled for January 20th.

Chris Brown, whose homophobic, racist rant via Twitter I posted about previously,offered an awkward apology to TMZ.com Thursday, reading in part “Yesterday was an unfortunate lack in judgement sparked by public Twitter attacks from Raz B, who was bent on getting attention. Words cannot begin to express how sorry and frustrated I am over what transpired publicly on Twitter,” adding “I love all of my fans, gay and straight. I have friends from all walks of life and am committed, with God’s help, to continue becoming a better person.”

Reggie Bush – USC Trojans’ running back who was asked to return his Heisman Trophy, currently playing for the New Orleans Saints – asks via Twitter (which seriously must stop) “If someone says ‘no homo,’ is that offensive towards gay people?”

Openly Gay And Adopted Daily Mail Columnist Suggests David Furnish And Sir Elton John’s Decision To Have Baby A Repellent Grotesque Act Of Selfishness

The news that David Furnish and Sir Elton John have fathered, via a surrogate, a baby boy, continues to act as touchstone for debate, the latest, Andrew Piece, a columnist for the Daily Mail, who writes that John’s “decision to become a father is another grotesque act of selfishness from Sir Elton, and that the child is a little Christmas bauble he and his partner have awarded themselves. How telling it is that he was born on Christmas Day. As far back as 2001 Sir Elton admitted that he was too old for fatherhood. He told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: ‘I have come to the conclusion that it too late for me. Had it been 20 years ago, then I would definitely have done it. I don’t want to be 70 years old when my daughter turns 16.’ Yet he will now be 79, not 70, when his son turns 16.” Pierce, who is gay, and who was, in fact, adopted, make explicit his opposition is not directed towards gay men and women who want to adopt (“I believe same sex couples should be allowed to adopt or have their own children – although I think that in ideal circumstances a child should be brought up by a mother and father,” he writes), but is in fact directed at what he perceives to be an act directly born by John’s aging, pampered, and self-indulgence persona.

Los Angeles Times Editorial: “Enough Agonizing, Mr. President. Support Marriage Equality”

In the wake of President Obama’s statements last week that his “feelings” about gay marriage “are constantly evolving,” and that he struggles with the issue of marriage equality versus a compromise represented by civil unions, the Los Angeles Times editorial board suggests that the “president could spare himself that struggle if he would analyze the issue logically” and that if he did “he would recognize that it’s irrational, once same-sex couples are given the practical advantages of marriage, to deny them married status. Civil unions, while a vast improvement over the absence of any recognition of same-sex relationships, are almost by definition second-class arrangements.” The editorial posits that Obama’s “reluctance to endorse marriage equality is more political than personal,” and arrives at the following conclusion: “Enough agonizing, Mr. President. Support marriage equality.”

National Organization For Marriage Euphoric Billboards Promoting God’s Word Dot The Highways Of Tennessee, British Gay Couple Allege Department For Work And Pensions Centre Discriminated Against Them, Chris Brown Tweets Homophobia Then Denies He Is Homophobic, David Burtka And Neil Patrick Harris Are People Talking To People Magazine About Their Babies

The National Organization for Marriage is beside itself over the two billboards decorating the highways of Putnam County, Tennessee declaring that traditional marriage between a man and a woman is God’s way, the NOM Web site reporting that Louis Irby, a resident of Cookeville, Tennessee offered a less than spontaneous opinion, saying “I just thought this billboard was a marvellous idea. You hear so much about same-sex marriage on TV, and it’s so readily accepted by the public. Children, unless they have some kind of religious training at home, are taught to accept it and not question it or feel that it’s wrong. I think God’s word needs to be inserted as often as possible to reaffirm that homosexuality is wrong. It doesn’t need to be presented in a glorified light as just an alternative lifestyle.”

The Daily Telegraph reports that a gay couple from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England claim they have the victims of discrimination whenever they went to a Jobcentre to claim their benefits. 23 year old Steve Mellor and 28 year old Roy Pearson, who have only been claiming the Jobseeker’s Allowance and housing benefits since mid-November, say they were subjected to verbal abuse and were deliberately allotted less benefits that others because of their sexuality. Mellor, who had to start claiming benefits because of a long-term illness compounded by stress, wrote to the centre last week, saying “When we went in Wednesday to find out about Christmas payments we got no help whatsoever, so we started walking away. Comments then came from staff such as ‘those two gay boys always come in for information’ while they pointed and laughed at us.” The two have been living together for five months, and according to Pearson “The way we have been treated has been getting worse since we announced we were a couple.” The Department for Work and Pensions released a statement that in part read “Jobcentre Plus is committed to treating all individuals fairly and equally regardless of their sexual orientation. We will not tolerate discrimination and will take any allegations seriously. We are aware of this complaint and are investigation.”

Entertainment Weekly on Chris Brown’s anti-gay, racist attack on a former member of the group B2K, Raz B, who tweeted Brown “I’m just sittin here Thinking how can nigga gas like (Eric Benet) and (Chris Brown) disrespect women as intelligent as Halle Berry, Rihanna.” Brown tweeted back “nigga you want attention! Grow up nigga!!! Dick in da booty ass lil boy,” a reference to allegations Raz recently made that he was molested by the band’s manager. Brown continued the attack, and offered an awkward explanation, tweeting “I’m not homophobic! He’s just disrespectful!!!”

Friday, the new issue of People will feature an exclusive story with David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris who talk to the magazine about the birth of the couple’s twins – Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, born October 12th via a surrogate, as well as offer exclusive photographs of the children. Harris says “Everyone says that it’s such a blur after it happens. I find myself constantly just trying to wrap my mind around it.” The 37 year old Harris and 35 year old Burtka say they were “thrilled” to find out they were having fraternal twins, Harris explaining “We inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David’s sperm and they took both.” Burtka says that “Harper has been fussy but Gideon is the easiest baby in the world,” adding “They’re just now starting to recognize us and smile.”

Suspect Taken Into Custody In Connection To Murder Of Wilton Manors Gay Couple, Ogden Utah Mayor Avoids Acting On Anti-Gay Discrimination Ordinance, Are Seattle Gay Bars Being Unfairly Targeting By City Code Compliance Department, New York Post Congratulates Sir Elton John And His “Wife,” John Cameron Mitchell Profile

NBC Miami reports that Polk County, Florida authorities have arrested a suspect in connection to the murder of a Wilton Manors gay couple. Peter Serge Avsenew was taken in custody near Dundee, Florida, mere miles away from where police allege he killed Kevin Mark Powell and Stephen Adams December 26th. The couple was discovered by police after the sister of one of the victim’s notified authorities. Avsenew is from Hollywood, Florida, and was apprehended driving Powell’s black 2003 Saturn Vue. No changes have been filed, but Wilton Manors police has identified the 26 year old as the lead suspect, and he is expected to be extradited to Broward County shortly. Police have still not released any information as to how the two men died, the motive, or if a connection exists between the victims and the suspect.

The Standard Examiner is reporting that gay advocates in Ogden, Utah plan to push the city’s mayor to enact a local ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, Brandie Balken, the executive director of Equality Utah saying she hope that a scheduled meeting with Mayor Matthew Godfrey January 7th will resolve legal issues, allowing the city proposed ordinance to be adopted. The ordinance was first put forward in April by Ogden resident James Humphreys, who is upset, saying that the mayor is stalling, refusing to meet with him. “The administration is dragging its feet on purpose,” he said. “The mayor doesn’t want the ordinance passed. He wants it to go away.” He added that he expects the mayor to ask Balken to accept a non-binding anti-discrimination joint resolution from the administration and the city council instead of an enforceable ordinance, which, Humphreys said “is completely unacceptable and not worth the paper it’s printed on.”

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Tuesday ordered a review of the enforcement activity of the city’s gay and lesbian bars after complains they were being unfairly targeted for investigation, the Post-Intelligencer reporting that at a news conference Tuesday McGinn said he has requested an audit of the city’s Code Compliance Team enforcement efforts after an article in the Stranger suggested that there were discrepancies between the monitoring of gay establishments and similar straight ones.

Wednesday, the New York Post either by accident or design ran a headline that announces that Sir Elton John and his “wife” are proud dads, adding that “The legendary hit maker and his partner David Furnish announced their first-time fathers, following the Christmas-Day birth of their adopted son.”

The New York Times profiles the very cute raconteur John Cameron Mitchell, the creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus, as well aas the director of the just-released film adaption of Rabbit Hole, who says, after living in the same rent-stabilized apartment for 18 years that he is “an honorary old Jewish lady of the West Village,” and that he is “angry about St. Vincent’s closing, and I’m angry about Marc Jacobs.”

Inexpiably BBC Invites Stephen Green Who Calls For Gays To Be Murdered On-Air To Discuss The Birth Via Surrogate Of David Furnish And Sir Elton John’s Son

The BBC is under attack, rightly so, for a segment that aired Tuesday night on BBC One’s News at Six program that featured an interview with Stephen Green, of the violently anti-gay right-wing Christian Voice, who previously called for gays to be executed, to discuss the birth via surrogate of a baby boy for David Furnish and Sir Elton John, according to a report by Pink News. Introduced by Lizo Mzimba, the BBC’s entertainment correspondent, who said “not everyone is pleased to see such a high profile same sex couple start to raise a surrogate child,” Green, in an interview that is obviously edited, said that “This isn’t just a designer baby for Sir Elton John, this is a designer accessory ... Now it seems like money can buy him anything, and so he has entered into this peculiar arrangement ... The baby is a product of it. A baby needs a mother and it seems an act of pure selfishness to deprive a baby of a mother.” Pink News concludes “The decision to include an interview with Stephen Green, someone who has previously supported the execution of gays in a story relating to a high-profile gay couple celebrating the birth of a surrogate child shows incredible insensitivity by the BBC. His inclusion on a flagship bulletin is all the more shocking given that the same man unsuccessfully attempted to bring a private prosecution against the director general of the BBC on an a blasphemy issue that directly related to homosexuality. The interview broadcast with Mr Green was visibly edited and appears to have been used to deliver a sense of controversy over the birth of a surrogate son to a same sex couple that may not have been even considered newsworthy had the celebrity couple been heterosexual. Given that little more than a year ago, the BBC Trust ruled that the BBC “reinforced homophobic stereotypes”, the broadcast yesterday is all the more shocking. The BBC needs to seriously reconsider not just who it interviews for stories relating to homosexuality but also reconsider its whole approach to how it covers the lives of millions of LGBT people, who themselves have no choice but to pay the television license fee.”

Palm Springs Police Chief Caught Using Violent Anti-Gay Slurs Offers Awkward Apology, Second Anoka-Hennepin Teacher Accused Of Bullying Student In 2008 Files Suit Against Minnesota Claiming To Be Victimized Because His Right To Privacy Violated

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez offered an anaemic apology Tuesday, the Desert Sun reporting that Dominguez, caught on tape calling gay men “filthy cocksuckers,” said he was sorry for making “an inappropriate comment” during a September, 2009 Warm Sands sex sting that targeted gay men. Dominguez added that the comment “did not display the utmost professional conduct expected from the Chief of Police and I sincerely apologise to the community at large.” His attempt at an apology arrives an hour after City Manager David Ready released a memo to the Palm Springs City Council outlining conclusions and regrets about the manner in which the controversial sting to curtail public gay sex in the neighbourhood unfolded, Ready in part concluding that “Portions of the operation were not concluded according to the professional standards that are expected of our Police Department. As a result, appropriate disciplinary and correction actions have already been taken,” although it is not clear what those actions entailed or if Dominguez was one of those disciplined. The sting is the source of continuing controversy since all 19 men of those men arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct face charges that would require them to register as sex offenders for life on a national datebase available only to authorities.

Late last week, reports the Pioneer Press, an Anoka-Hennepin school district teacher, Walter Filson, filing suit against the state of Minnesota claiming that his right to privacy was violated when officials disclosed his name in a case of alleged anti-gay harassment of a student. In 2008, Filson was a teacher at the Secondary Technical Education Program in Anoka, where it is alleged he volunteered Alex Merritt, who is not gay, for a fashion show, telling the class “because he enjoys wearing women’s clothing.” Another teacher, Diane Cleveland, is also accused of harassing Merritt (allegedly she said the student had a “thing for older men), also filed suit against the state, claiming she was the victim. In May, 2008, one of Merritt’s parents filed harassment charges with the Department of Human Rights, and in the late spring of 2009, the department ruled that the school district was liable for discrimination. The family received a financial settlement.

Apple Again Rejects Anti-Gay Manhattan Declaration, Allentown Pennsylvania Moving Towards Full Equality, Angry Vapid Reichen Lehmkuhl, Chris Colfer Hints Glee’s Valentine’s Day Episode Will Bring With It Gay Love, Coronation Street To Get Gay Marriage

Apple has again rejected an anti-gay app, the makers of the Manhattan Declaration posting to its website December 23rd “We received notice from Apple last evening regarding their rejection of our resubmission of the Manhattan Declaration iPhone/iPad app to the Apple App Store. This is an appalling response from Apple. Nearly 500,000 Christians have signed the Manhattan Declaration including representatives from many major Protestant denominations, leading Catholic Bishops and leaders of the Orthodox Church. Apple is telling us that the apps' content is considered ‘likely to expose a group to harm’ and ‘to be objectionable and potentially harmful to others.’ Inasmuch as the Manhattan Declaration simply reaffirms the moral teachings of our Christian faith on the sanctity of human life, marriage and sexual morality, and religious freedom and the rights of conscience, Apple's statement amounts to the charge that our faith is ‘potentially harmful to others.’”

Allentown, Pennsylvania is set to soon become the first municipality in the Lehigh Valley to offer complete medical benefits to the partners of same sex employees either active or retired, report the Morning Call. Under the proposed domestic partnership bill currently before council, partners of gay employees would be eligible for health benefits so long as the couple can demonstrate that they cohabitate and are jointly responsible for household finances.

Gawker reports that Reichen Lehmkuhl, who defines vapid queen, is angry that Dan Avery, one of the editors of New York’s Next Magazine, in naming Logo’s The A-List one of the worst shows of 2010, called him a “vapid queen.” What’s worse, Lehmkuhl accuses Avery of employing “bullying words.”

TV Guide reports that Glee's Chris Colfer hints his character Kurt Hummel and that of cute Blaine, played by the equally cute Darren Criss, will move their relationship from platonic to romantic on the February 8th Valentine’s Day episode when the two sing Robin Thicke’s “When I Get You Alone” outside a snowy GAP store, which actually sounds, um, awful.

British serial drama Coronation Street is going to host its first gay wedding, the Sun reporting that male midwife Marcus Dent, played by Charlie Condou, and is to return in 2011 to take a civil partnership with former boyfriend Sean Tully, played by Anthony Cotton. According to an insider “Brining back Charlie is seen as a big platform for him and in particular Anthony who is well liked and admired by the boss. When Marcus turns up in Weatherfield in the spring he is desperate to rekindle his romance. But having hurt him once, Sean is apprehensive until Marcus offers him commitment, with the future storyline leading to Corrie’s first same sex marriage.” Coronation Street was created fifty years ago by openly gay writer Tony Warren.

Mecklenburg County North Carolina Commissioner Bill James Portrays Gays As “Sexual Predators” And Denounces Repeal Of DADT

Q Notes is reporting that Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James, a Republican of North Carolina, sent an e-mail to County Commissioner Chair Jennifer Roberts in response to a request to send a letter thanking members of the Charlotte-area congressional delegation for their yes vote on repealing the United States military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, in which James categorised gays as “sexual predators.” “Homosexuals are sexual predators,” reads the e-mail in part. “Allowing homosexuals to serve in the US military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining US military readiness and effectiveness not the least of which is the current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share showers with those they are attracted to.” He added “The US government would not allow Hetero men and women to share showers and other personal facilities yet the leading homosexual in Congress (Barney Frank) thinks it is OK for homosexuals to do so allowing enlisted men and women to fall prey to higher ranking or more powerful homosexuals who ogle them (or worse).” State Republican vice Chair Jim Pendergraph also objected to sending a letter of thanks, an e-mail he sent reading in part “I don’t think the timing is right for this and as a 19 year old enlistee from Steele Creek in the US Army in 1969, the first homosexual I ever encountered was in basic training. He was the company clerk. It was a bad scene and this individual exerted his authority on young impressionable recruits,” adding that “Whatever you send, don’t put my name on it. I don’t see this as anything to be proud of.” You might remember Mr. James from late last year, when, during a debate on domestic partner benefits for county employees, he leaned over to Democrat colleague Vilma Leake, and into an open microphone, called her son a “homo.” He had died from an AIDS-related illness in the 1990s.

Wilton Manors Florida Domestic Couple Murdered Over Christmas; Police Seek Public’s Help

The bodies of domestic partners Kevin Powell and Steve Adams were found by police inside the couple’s Wilton Manors, Florida home early Sunday, the Orlando Sentinel reporting that one of the victim’s sisters phoned police after her brother did not arrive home for the holidays. Powell had reportedly been very ill with diabetes. A black 2003 Saturn Vue belong to the 47 year old Powell and 52 year old Adams with a Florida license plate was stolen, and police say that they have neither a motive nor the suspect or suspects in the killings. The two had a pet Pomeranian named Petey (who was featured, along with Powell on a HGTV show), whom a neighbour has offered to take in. Police are asking for the public’s help and if you have any information, you are asked to call Detective Biagio Balistreti at 954.390.2150 or Broward County Crime Stoppers.

Two Gay Men Attacked In Austin Texas In Likely Hate Crime, North Carolina Church Association Appoints Openly Gay Man As President, David Furnish And Sir Elton John Are New Parents, Mickey Rourke Confirms Intent To Portray Gareth Thomas, Charles Devoe For Mangano

Bobby Beltran and Christopher Ortega say they were attacked after departing a downtown Austin, Texas gay club and that the assailants were yelling anti-gay slurs, reports KXAN-TV. 26 year old Beltran says he and his friend were leaving the club Rain around 1:30 am December 26th, when the two shared a hugged goodbye on the sidewalk. He says that as a car drove pass, one of the occupants yelled “Fucking faggots, stop that queer shit.” Beltran yelled back, saying “That shit’s not welcome here in Austin,” prompting the vehicle to stop short in the street, the five men inside the car descended and attack Beltran and his friend. Beltran says he fought back, but suffered bruises and cuts, as well as a black eye. Austin Police confirm that a report has been filed, and that the department is investigating, but both Beltran and Ortega suggest that the response by the officers was less than adequate. Beltran says “I always, whenever I travel, talk very highly of Austin and say it’s so safe here, and it’s safe and cozy and everybody gets along, and I am extremely shocked.” This is the second time this year a reported bias-motivated attack has occurred in the same area, the first happening in February. To date, no arrests have been made in that incident. Beltran, an activist, says he is nonetheless determined to see justice served, saying “I’m going to keep on pursuing this because I want justice. I want to know that this is not going to happen again to anybody. According to statistics from the Texas Department of Public Safety, since the state enacted its hate crime law in 2001, more than 2,500 hate crimes have been reported, and of those, only 11 have been prosecuted. The Texas House is scheduled to vote on a bill that will examine why the hate crime law in the state is rarely used.

The North Carolina Council of Churches, a coalition of seventeen Christian denominations and eight individual churches concentrating on social issues in the South, has elected retired IBM sales executive and Raleigh resident Stan Kimer, an openly gay minister, its incoming president, and as the Charlotte Observer notes, only one of the other similar 33 church councils in the United States has ever done that. The 55 year old Kimer says he was elected president because he was able to convince the board that his agenda is broader than issues of sexuality, saying “I have a strong belief that as a Christian I’m called to make the world a better place. I like to spend time with groups where I can see an impact.”

US magazine reports exclusively that David Furnish and Sir Elton John are new parents of a son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, born December 25th in California via a surrogate. The couple released a statement that read in part “We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment. Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.” According to a spokesperson, neither Furnish nor John intends to reveal the identity of the surrogate or the details surrounding the surrogacy arrangement.

Bleeding Cool reports that Mickey Rourke appeared on British television Sunday evening, on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man program, and ostensibly confirmed that he is connected to film that would tell the tale of Gareth Thomas, the openly gay 36 year old Welsh iconic rugby player. The 57 year old Rourke told the openly gay Carr that “I read the story. It’s one of the toughest, hardest sports in the world to play. They play with no pads. They play… it’s a really brutal sport. To be a man who plays rugby who is gay and to live with that secret for the amount of years that Gareth had, to perform at the high level that he performed at, it takes a lot of courage.”

A new homo-erotically charged campaign for Mangano features the late male model Charles Devoe.

Gay Miner Files Suit Against Embattled West Virginia Coal Company Massey Energy Alleging Years Of Systemic Abuse

Massey Energy Company, currently the subject of lawsuit brought by the Mine Safety and Health Administration as a serial violator of safety law since 29 miners were killed as a result of an explosion at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia on April 5th, is facing another lawsuit, brought by Sam Hall, a miner since 2005, alleging that he has been subjected to repeated anti-gay harassment by supervisors and other miners, and that management not only failed to prevent the abuse, but actively participated, the West Virginia Gazette reporting that the suit, filed earlier in December against the Massey subsidiary Spartan Mining Company, says Hall was subjected to verbal abuse and invective and lewd gestures by his supervisors and other miners, and that “Mr. Hall is gay, and given his gender preference, has been harassed by both management and fellow miners. Due to management’s participation and provocation, most of the pervasive ongoing harassment has been caused of encouraged.” Hall, who still works for Massey, began as red hat trainee at the Winifrede Mine in November, 2005 and according to the suit, shortly thereafter he and a co-worker went horseback riding. The mine’s superintendent, Scott Lansenese, allegedly said that Hall had a Brokeback Mountain moment, a reference to the 2005 Ang Lee film about a relationship between two gay cowboys. In 2007, at Spartan’s No 130 Mine, where Hall then worked, the harassment continued, Mark Delung, a chief electrician, using homophobic slurs which he would write on Hall’s dinner bucket and then the mine’s power center. When Hall complained and management instructed Delung to stop, the harassment simply increased, Hall’s car vandalised, co-workers attaching a sign that read “I like little boys.” Hall then transferred to the No.2 Gas Mine, where he again was the target of anti-gay abuse, co-workers allegedly shaking their penises at Hall underground, and when they were told to stop, the abuse again increased, Hall’s locker vandalised. For three months in early 2009, the suit says that Hall worked at No.5 Gas Mine, where the superintendent knew him from the Winifrede mine and would encourage the abuse directed at Hall by co-workers. Hall became worried when that abuse turned violent, someone saying “I would like to see all faggots die.” Earlier this year, Hall met with Spartan Mining Co. President John Jones, Vice-president Larry Ward, and human resources director Kyle Bane. Hall was told the issue of harassment would be resolved; however, the company suspended Hall for three days and transferred him to the Slab Camp Mine, where he continues to work while facing abuse and threats based entirely on his sexual orientation. The suit accuses the Spartan Mining Company and its management of creating an oppressive and hostile work environment, and making no attempt to end physical threats made against him based on sexuality. The suit seeks unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress. Massey Energy vice-president and general counsel Shane Harvey called the conduct alleged by Hall “despicable,” adding that “They are serious allegations, and we take them seriously. We are going to investigate it, and if any of them are true, we are going to take action swiftly to remedy the situation. However, at this stage, they are just allegations, and we are going into the investigation with an open mind."

D.C. Archbishop Claims Catholic Church Has Successfully Confronted Sexual Abuse Committed By Priests, Ruling Allows Tax Exempt Religious Organisations In Australia To Discriminate Against Gay Perspective Foster Parents, Clay Aiken Boyfriend Jeff Walters Gives More Grindr Pictures, Dolce And Gabbana Boxing Hotness, Tim Tebow

WPLX-TV reports that Sunday morning, while appearing on Fox News Sunday, Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl said, bewilderingly, that the Catholic Church has been successful on confronting allegations of sexual abuse by priests. “When we look back and we talk about sexual abuse, we’re talking about something that happened 10, 20, even 30 years ago,” he said. “We have succeeded in terms of the church and her response. We have succeeded in guaranteeing that is a priest is accused, and there is a credible allegation, he is simply removed from the ministry. That is reported to the authorities, and we begin to try to heal whatever was damaged in that abuse,” adding “I think it’s one of the great accomplishments of the church. It recognised there was a serious problem. It dealt with if forthright and then moved on to see that we’re in a much, much better place, and much safer place today.” Wuerl also commented on the recent repeal of the military policy prohibiting openly gay service members, saying that although “there isn’t a specific Catholic Church position, but whatever happens, it has to be seen in terms of the church’s teaching position. And this is, human sexuality is something that is supposed to be exercised responsibility and within the context,” adding that the church continues to oppose gay unions and will not “redefine marriage.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that despite a recent ruling by the North Southern Wales Administrative Decisions Tribunal that allows religious charities to discriminate against gay couples, the government department says that there still exists opportunities for same sex couples to foster children. In 2002, a gay couple brought a complaint against the Wesley Mission Australia, which had refused to allow them to become foster parents. Earlier this month, the tribunal found that the mission was exempt from the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act on religious grounds. The couple lodged an initial complaint under the Act after an agency operated by the mission refused to allow them to foster a child. The ADT found in favour of the two men in 2007 and awarded them each $5,000. The Wesley Mission appealed, however, and a review panel overturned the earlier decision, ruling that the tribunal erred in deciding that the mission did not hold the right to discriminate on religious grounds. The panel sent the case back to the tribunal, which ruled in favour of the mission, and dismissed the original complaint of discrimination. The Department of Community Services released a statement that read in part that foster parents “can be single, married in de facto or same sex relationship,” adding that it places emphasis on the need for foster carers to provide a “safe, nurturing and secure family environment.”

More – much more – of Jeff Walters, the Texan part-time actor, part-time 2(X)ist underwear model, reportedly full-time boyfriend of Clay Aiken, who continues to send revealing pictures of himself via Grindr, including naked, natch. (NSFW)

Swide reports on Dolce and Gabbana boxers in briefs inside the Milan store Rinascente, all of which is much sexier than it might sound.

A little late, but rookie Tim Tebow Sunday finally, um, played like Tim Tebow, leading the toxic Denver Broncos to a come from behind 24-23 win over the visiting Houston Texans, Tebow scoring his first NFL rushing touchdown.

Five Idaho High School Football Players Appeared In Court Thursday Charged In Sexual Assault Hazing Case

Reuters reports that Thursday, the four adult former high school football players, and one juvenile, all accused of sexually assaulting fellow high school teammates last year appeared in a Blackfoot, Idaho court, Anthony Clarke, Logan Chideser, Tyson Katseanes, and Nathan Walker, each 19 year old, heard the charges against them, including felony sexual assault charges, and misdemeanour false imprisonment charges. All four attorneys entered not guilty pleas for the misdemeanour charges and say they expect the felony charges to be dismissed. Prosecutors, however, say that the accused carefully targeted as many as six fellow players on the Blackfoot High School basketball team even as they “eyed widening the pool of victims in sex crimes that transgressed what is commonly understood as hazing, or a traditional ritual used to initiate a person of group, Bingham County Prosecutor Scott Andrews saying that the crimes escalated from one year to the next. “They were branching out to get more people, selecting whoever they wanted to pick on and who they would leave alone,” he said. The sexual offenses, which began in December, 2009, occurred in a locker room and on school bus at a time when no adults were present. Idaho Magistrate Judge Charles Roos set a preliminary hearing on the felony charges for January 5th, although it is not known whether the defendants will be tried as individuals or as a group.

Gareth Williams’ Childhood Sweetheart Says Dead M16 Spy Was Not Gay But Was Researching New Identity, Britain To Expunge Criminal Convictions For Gay Sex Offenses, First Irish Same Sex Civil Partnership Ceremony Scheduled For April 2011

The story of Gareth Williams, the M16 British spy found dead, his naked body somehow packed inside a padlocked sports bag in August, continues to be told as an odd tale, a friend of Williams telling the Mail on Sunday that the 31 year old Williams was not gay, and was fact studying for new identity, despite police last week suggesting he died after a sex game went horribly wrong, and that he visited a number of gay bars in Vauxhall, and purchased tickets for a local drag show shortly prior to his death. Sian Llyod-Jones, who identifies herself as William’s childhood sweetheart, says Williams was in training to take on a new identity eight months before he was discovered dead, and that he often purchased designer women’s clothing, but that those were gifts for herself and Williams’ sister. The 33 year old Lloyd-Jones says Williams was not gay, adding “I’m not in denial and nor is his mum, dad or sister. It would have been fine if he was(gay).

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democratic equalities minister, will announce a proposal to pass legislation that will effectively expunge historic criminal convictions for homosexual sex with a partner over the age of 16, reports the Sunday Telegraph. The policy was first announced by Prime Minister David Cameron during the general elections. The legislation will be included in the Freedom Bill. Consensual sex between two men over the age of 21 was decriminalised in 1967. In 1994, the homosexual age of consent was lowered to 18, and only in 2000 was lowered to 16, in line with the law governing heterosexual sex. Those changes, however, are not retroactive; consequently there remain thousands of individuals who are required to disclose they have a criminal record for committing an offense that is currently completely legal. Currently, those with a conviction must disclose that information as part of the program of Criminal Records Bureau checks if they apply to work or to volunteer for charities or other organisations. Featherstone told MPs in early December that it is “unfair and “unjust” men should still fear being exposed for an act that “has long not been illegal,” adding that with the passage of legislation “such men will never again have to disclose that information. I hope very much that those gay men whom that has inhibited from volunteering will now find that inhibition removed.” Featherstone is also expect to announce that in 2011 same sex civil partnership ceremonies will be permitted in churches, a smaller part of a larger plan to grant gay couples full marriage equality.

Ireland will have its first official same sex partnership relationship recognised in April, 2011, Irish Central reporting that Minister of Justice Dermot Ahern announced the new law affording a range of rights comes into effect January 1st, 2011, but it will be three months before the fist ceremony is performed. Ahem said that the new law will recognise the many different relationships in modern Ireland, saying “Gay couples, whose relationships have not previously been given legal recognition by the State, may now formalise their relationships in the eye of the law and society at large. Their relationships will be legally recognised and protected. Persons in committed gay relationships who wish to share duties and responsibilities now have the choice to register their partnership and become part of a legal regime that fully protects them in the course of that partnership and, if necessary, on its termination.”

Happy Holidays!

This has been an exciting, successful year for The Time of My Life, and I wanted to thank everyone who has been so supportive, especially my followers, whose comments and continued patronage make publishing the blog so special. Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas to all, and my sincere best wishes for a New Year that brings with it love, peace, and prosperity!

Alberta Physicians Continue To Bill Homosexuality As Mental Disorder, Tillsonburg Ontario Public Library Decides Not To Censor Gay Artist’s Work, Vice-President Biden Says National Consensus On Gay Marriage “Inevitable,” Thailand Bans Transgender Film, Serbia Prosecutes Anti-Gay Extremists, Chicago Gay And Lesbian Health Center Reaches Funding Goal, Channing Tatum Struts

The Edmonton Journal reports that physicians treating homosexuality as a mental disorder billed the Alberta five times in 2009, down from a high of more than seven-hundred in 1997, the most recent statistics still troubling since it means that some doctors in the province continue to treat homosexuality as a disease that can be cured. Until Tuesday, section 302.0 of Alberta’s diagnostic codes listed homosexuality under the heading “Mental Disorders: Sexual Deviations and Disorders,” putting homosexuality first on a grouping that included bestiality and pedophilia. Health and Wellness spokesperson Andy Weiler says all such references in section 302 have since been removed from the diagnostic codes, including references to transvestism, transsexualism, and other “specified psychosexual disorders,” adding that the section will be rewritten in 2011. However, doctors can continue to use the code for billing purposes.

The Tillsonburg News reports that the south-western Ontario town’s public library reversed a ruling that covered area artist R. Bruce Flowers’ sculptures grace the library’s foyer after complaints that they depicted homosexual activity and as such were inappropriate to be displayed in a public space. On December 14th, the Tillsonburg Public Library Board “unanimously passed a motion to continue to host the Oxford County Art Project: Art in Public Spaces until February 28th, 2011,” a decision that included uncovering Flower’s four clay sculptures. According to the reports, there were five written complaints and several verbal, most objecting to the “showcasing” of “sexuality.” Flowers called the covering of his work “appalling,” arguing that the reaction was based more on the understanding that he is gay, rather that the content of the sculpture,” and that the “contributions of the gay community should be celebrated” not condemned. Chief Librarian Richard Sulkers said that the library treated all the complaints seriously, but decided that closing the exhibit would contravene the principals of intellectual freedom as endorsed by both the Canadian and Ontario Library Associations.

Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America Friday, United States Vice-President Joe Biden said that there is “an inevitability for a national consensus on gay marriage” similar to that which occurred with the issue of gays serving openly in the military, Biden saying “I think the country’s evolving. And I think you’re going to see, you know, the next effort is probably going to be to deal with so-called DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act).” That act, passed in the early fall of 1996, defines marriage at the federal level as that only existing between one man and one woman, and that no state need to regard as marriage any same sex relationship considered a marriage elsewhere.

A Thai film about a transgender father struggling to raise two children has been banned by the country’s National Film Board, the Associated Press reports, the ban, according to the movie’s director, Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, underlining the conservative side of Thai society despite a reputation for liberal, progressive social attitudes. The board ruled earlier this week that the film, Insects in the Backyard, cannot be screened in the Thailand because it is immoral and pornographic. Sukkhapisit told the AP Friday that the scenes classified as offensive by the board are imperative to the narrative and cannot be cut, added that she intends to appeal the decision.

The Associated Press reports that prosecutors in Serbian are charging a far-right leader with orchestrating violence during a gay pride march in Belgrade in October at which more than 150 people were hurt. The Higher Court in Belgrade said that Milan Obradovic, the leader of the extremist nationalist group Obraz (or Honor) is charged with “committing violent acts at a public gathering.” An unspecified number of other group members have been indicted, as well. They all face a maximum of 12 years in prison. Extremist groups attacked the police securing Serbia’s first gay pride parade in years, precipitating day-long violence. Serbia has promised to protect human rights as it proceeds to seek membership in the European Union.

The Associated Press reports that the Chicago-based gay and lesbian Howard Brown Health Center managed to raise $650,000 in 50 days after announcing on November 4th that because of a fiscal emergency it would have to close its doors after being open for more than 35 years unless funds were found. Officials say that more than 1,400 donors responded, and an anonymous donor gave $200,000 to be used to match other gifts. Howard Brown serves more than 36,000 clients each year. The Center was wrought with financial problems after the mismanagement of funds was found earlier this year, which led to the resignations of the previous CEO and chief financial officer.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan spotted Thursday shopping at the Grove in Los Angeles.

New York City Gay Couple Dylan And Jim Are Christmas Elves Who Remind You It Is A Wonderful Life

From the New York Times, Sarah Klein and a story about Christmas and her friends Dylan and Jim, who live at 22nd Street, Apartment Number 7, New York, New York, 10011, and for reasons that to date remain unclear, children believe that Santa Claus lives there, in Chelsea, the couple receiving hundreds and hundreds of letters addressed to Saint Nick. It’s a beautiful story, and because of Dylan and Jim, a wonderful life.

Canadian Broadcast Standards Council Censures Quebec DJ For Anti-Comments Regarding Johnny Weir, George Atis Bullies 12 Year Old Girl Into Quitting Co-Ed Toronto Hockey Team, Nashville Gay Bookstore Announces Closing, Leonardo DiCaprio Will Kiss Armie Hammer But Not In Drag, Clay Aiken Boyfriend Jeff Walter Naked

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has censured a Quebec City radio host for “scornful, derisive and denigrating” remarks made on February 19th, 2010, during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, the CBC reporting that on February 17th, RDS commentators Claude Mailhot and Alain Goldberg remarked on-air that Johnny Weir’s lipstick, and black and pink outfit perpetuated the stereotype of men’s figure skating as an effeminate sport, as well as joking that Weir should undergo gender testing. There were 119 complaints received by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council about the remark, but only the Quebec Council of Gays and Lesbians and one individual viewer requested further investigation. The complainants alleged the remarks were anti-gay, but the CBSC disagreed, that decision made in September, but released publically Thursday, the ruling in part reading “There would certainly have been better, safer, more tasteful ways for the broadcasters to have to had their discussion on that subject, but ... the comments were not particular negative and certainly not abusive on the basis of sexual orientation.” The CBSC, however, reached a different decision regarding comments on two days after those made by Mailhot and Goldberg, by Quebec City radio host Stephane Dupont on CHOI-FM. He said that that Mailhot and Goldberg only pointed out there was “a queer in a sport for queers,” and then proceeded to use the French words for “queer” and for “fag” repeatedly. That prompted another complaint by the Quebec City Gay and Lesbian Council and by another member of the public, the panel ruling that Dupont’s comments violated human rights because “the words and phrases and the tone of the host in enunciating them were scornful, derisive and denigrating.”

The Toronto Star reports on 12 year old Kayla Watkins, who has played hockey since the age of 4, and who recently learned that a parent of a child on her co-ed peewee hockey team, comprised entirely of boys except for Kayla, publically called for restrictions on her ice time or her removal from the team unless her skill levels improved, and who, humiliated, quit the team. George Atis, the parent of a player on the Toronto Ice Dogs PeeWee A club (which is, incidentally, the lowest level of competitive play in minor hockey) called a meeting of other parents. Atis, an attorney, who is, it should be underlined, not on the coaching staff, introduced an agenda at that meeting which included the item “Kayla Watkins – Player Ability Limitations and Suggested Options.” The item read “It is now 14 games into the season and I have noticed that Kayla’s play has not improved. It is at the point where many of the team members do not want to play on this team if this situation is not addressed.” Atis then offers two options: either move Kayla from defence to forward, not permit to participate on power plays or penalty kills, or playing her every other on defence and keep her special teams “until her skating and shooting improves. If Kayla is NOT amenable to the above options, the coach should find Kayla a new team to play on – commensurate to her skill level – for the balance of the season.” Atis also makes mention of Kayla changing in the same locker room as the boys, saying “there have been many ‘near miss; incidents where the boys have almost been exposed.” Kayla’s mother, Vanessa Watkins, who is also the team manager, says she was shocked by Atis’s targeted bullying of her daughter, saying “Do we not put our kids in team sports to learn to be a team player, to win as a team, to lose as a team and it’s not about me, me, me?” Atis defends his agenda, saying “I wrote the agenda, I stand by it. I lay the blame, if you must know, at the feet of Vanessa Watkins ... If it was my child, he would have never been put in that position because I would not have put him on a team where he was not competing and where he was a liability to the team.” Kayla, who is now playing with an all-girl team, says that Atis “is not my coach so I don’t know how he’s judging my play. If there’s something wrong, my coach should have talked to me, not him. And my coach never did. Of her decision to quit, Kayla says “I felt that if I went back all the parents would have been watching every move I made and always staring at me. To play hockey you shouldn’t have to go through what I went through. I was just looking to have friendship and play the game I love.”

The Tennessean reports that the owners of OutLoud Bookstore in Nashville, Ted Jensen and Kevin Medley have announced that they are closing the store which has served the area gay and lesbian community for 15 years. This Sunday, the staff will start liquidating all the merchandise, including furniture and equipment. Mr. Jensen and Mr. Medley thanked the customers for their patronage and suggesting that they were closing because of high interest rates for small business and a lack of meaningful legislation to protect and cultivate small businesses, as well as the unfair advantages chain businesses have over independent, locally-owned retail establishments.

Michael Musto via the Village Voice reports that fortunately Leonardo DiCaprio will kiss Armie Hammer in the Clint Eastwood directed, Dustin Lance Black written film about FBI head J. Edgar Hoover and his rumoured lover Clyde Tolson, but that unfortunately DiCaprio will not dress in drag, Musto saying “I know this for a fact because a reporter friend of mine actually asked the actor about. I’m guessing that those much ballyhooed reports about Hoover’s supposed taste for chiffon might not be looked at as credible sourcing by Mr. Eastwood.”

As I posted previously Clay Aiken has a new boyfriend, Texan native Jeff Walters. Mr. Walters, an actor and a part-time underwear model for 2(X)ist also makes an appearance on Grindr, one shirtless, one in a pair of teeny, tiny, tight red briefs, and one completely naked and erect – very, very erect. (NSFW)

High School Student Sues Softball Coaches And Texas School District For Forcibly Outing Her To Her Mother

Monday, attorneys with the Texas Civil Rights Project filed suit on behalf of Barbara Wyatt and her 17 year old daughter Skye in a federal court in Tyler, Texas, KLTV reporting that the suit is being brought against three Kilgore High School coaches – assistant softball coach Rhoda Fletcher, head softball coach Cassandra Newell, and assistant athletic director Douglas Duke – as well as the Kilgore Independent School District, attorney Nick Jackson saying that three coaches in question “blatantly disregarded” Skye Wyatt’s “constitutional privacy rights under the Fourteenth Amendment by intentionally disclosing” her sexual orientation to her mother. According to the suit, on March 2nd, 2009, Skye arrived at a softball practice and says the coaches dismissed the other players, but led her into an empty locker room, bolted the door behind them, and began interrogating her, threatening her, an accusing her of having an alleged affair with another female student. Mrs. Wyatt says that later the coaches called her at home later that day to discuss what had happened, and then asked if she was aware that Skye was gay. She replied no. Wednesday, Skye spoke with KLTV and said “It’s not something I would have wanted to her know, ever. It was especially hard for me to deal with, especially in the manner I had to.” Skye was forced to quit the team. They school district, which has yet to comment on the suit, initially, through teachers, falsely claimed they were required by law to notify parents of the sexual orientation of their children.

President Obama Suggest His Opposition To Gay Marriage Continues To Evolve

The Los Angeles Times reports that during a press conference Wednesday, in the wake of the Senate repeal of the military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, President Obama was asked “is it intellectually consistent to say that gay and lesbians should be able to fight to die for this country but they should not be able to marry the people they love?” Obama answered:

With respect to the issue of whether gays and lesbians should be able to get married, I’ve spoken about this recently. As I’ve said, my feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this. I have friends, I have people who work for me, who are in powerful, strong, long-lasting gay or lesbian unions. And they are extraordinary people, and this is something that means a lot to them and they care deeply about.

At this point, what I’ve said is, is that my baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have. And I think -- and I think that’s the right thing to do. But I recognize that from their perspective it is not enough, and I think is something that we’re going to continue to debate and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward.

Obama Tuesday, told the Advocate that he believes the next legislative manoeuvres on gay rights are the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as that existing only between a man and a woman, and a passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it illegal for employers to make any and all decisions regarding hiring, firing, promoting and/or paying someone based on his or her sexual orientation.

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.

Brian Burke Profile In Courage

As a gay man, who played hockey well enough to be scouted and inviting to sign a letter of intent with a NHL team, the story of Brendan Burke resonated for me in way deeper than most. A goalie, like me, he quit playing hockey at age 16, tired of the locker room anti-gay taunts, terrified that he would be outed and would lose much more than his standing on a team. I quit when I was 17, and assigned to the distraction of my parent’s impending divorce, but the truth was it that more and more I could not navigate the two lives that seemed necessary to survive. I was angry, mostly because I loved playing hockey, and continued to get better and better. When Brendan came out publically in November, 2009, it was inspiring. When he died a little more than two months later, on February 5th, 2010, two days before my birthday, it was cruelly devastating, a loss that seemed to require learning a different language in order to accurately express how sad and how tragic his death in a car accident in a serious snowstorm in the middle of Indiana was. Brendan, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke, lives on, thankfully, his work continuing through his father and older brother Patrick, their story told by Mary Rogan in GQ in a way that is moving and powerful, and as a reminder of all that is precious and of all that is possible.

Target Corp Apologized For Making Campaign Contributions To Anti-Gay Political Action Committees And Then Continued To Make Campaign Contributions To Anti-Gay Political Action Committees Apparently Believing You Would Never Know

The Awl reports that despite public proclamations to the contrary, Target continued to make campaign donations to anti-gay politicians long after it issued an apology and an assurance that the company would revise its political participation. According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission in October, 2010, “Target continued donating to a bevy of anti-gay politicians even after Steinhafel apologized and committed to reforming the review process for future political donations. These donations even included some of the same anti-gay politicians the company had already been criticized for supporting.” On August 5th, 2010, Steinhafel, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Target, released a statement apologizing for the company’s decision to donate funds to a political action committee – MN Forward – created by former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, that supported Tom Emmer, a gubernatorial candidate, who in on record opposing gay equality. In that letter, Steinhafel made mention that “later this fall, Target will take a leadership role in bringing together a group of companies and partner organizations for a dialogue focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including LGBT issues.” What has been Target’s progress on taking a “leadership role”? A spokesperson said “As previously indicated, we’re taking a thoughtful and planful approach to this issue. Target is engaged in ongoing dialogue, both internally and externally, with a variety of leaders and expects to have more to share soon regarding our plans.” Oh, and the leadership role included donating $31,200 to anti-gay politicians and/or the political action committees that supported them.

President Obama Signs Repeal Of Military Policy Prohibiting Openly Gay Service Personal

Earlier Wednesday, President Obama signed legislation ending the 17 year old military policy prohibiting openly gay service members, the ban, “don’t ask, don’t tell,” an awkward compromise enacted by the Clinton administration that was regarded as a compromise to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military so long as they kept their sexual orientation secret. The New York Times reports that before an auditorium at the Interior Department, in front of an audience that included many gay activists, in particular those honourably discharged from military service, the President said ““No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie or look over their shoulder,” and added, quoting the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, ““Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well.” The repeal does not take immediate effect; the President, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Admiral Mullen must all still certify that changing the law to allow gay men and women to serve openly in all branches of the military will not obstruct readiness. Although there is still significant resistance from within the military to the repeal, specifically within the Marine Corps, openly gay Representative Barney Frank (Democrat-Massachusetts) said at the signing Wednesday that the attempt to integrate the armed service will proceed more successfully that did gender or racial integration. “Reality will very soon make it clear that there is nothing to worry about. If you can fight for your country, you can do anything,” he said. Since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was enacted in 1993, more than 17,000 service personal have been honourably discharged, and although today’s signing represents (at least symbolically) an end to the policy, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a non-partisan organization that represents soldiers still facing charges under the ban, says that gays and lesbians are “still at risk” since the repeal will not take full effect until 60 days after President Obama, the defense secretary, and admiral certify readiness, saying that “The bottom line is DADT is still in effect and it is not safe to come out.”

Tyler Clementi’s Parents Sue Rutgers University, Department Of Education Confirms It Is Investigating Tehachapi Unified School District Over Suicide Of Seth Walsh At The Request Of Mother, American Civil Liberties Union Threatens To Sue Virginia Delegate Marshall Over Proposal To Bar Gays And Lesbians From Serving Openly In State National Guard, Ivy League Re-Considering R.O.T.C. In Wake Of DADT Repeal

The parents of Tyler Clementi have notified Rutgers University that they plan to sue over the 18 year olds’ suicide in September says after two other freshman students allegedly broadcast an intimate encounter between Tyler and another man, reports MyCentralJersey.com. An attorney for Joseph and Jane Clementi sent the university a notice of tort claim Friday. The notice argues that the university failed to protect Clementi against “unlawful or otherwise improper acts perpetrated against” Tyler, adding that “It appears Rutgers University failed to act, failed to put in place, and/or failed to implement, and enforce policies and practices that would have prevented or deterred such acts, and that Rutgers failed to act timely and appropriately.” It lists the damages as Clementi’s pain and suffering and the parent’s loss of companionship and support and their financial costs. It does not specify an amount. A spokesperson for Rutgers said that while the university sympathizes with the family, it does not bear any responsibility for Tyler’s death, E.J. Miranda saying “We at the university share the family's sense of loss of their son, who was a member of our community,” Miranda said. “We also recognize that a grieving family may question whether someone or some institution could somehow have responsibility for their son's death. While the university understands this reaction, the university is not responsible for Tyler Clementi's suicide.”

Tuesday, Education Secretary Ame Duncan confirmed that federal education officials are investigating the Tehachapi Unified School District in Central California after the mother of Seth Walsh filed a formal complaint alleging that administration and staff failed to adequately address the years of anti-gay bullying that led to the 13 year old committing suicide this September, according the Associated Press. Wendy Walsh says the U.S. Department of Education investigators spent two days last week in Tehachapi interviewing students, teachers, and administrators. She says she contacted them when her son was hospitalized after attempting to hang himself from a tree in the family’s home on September. He fell into a coma and died days later, on September 28th. Of the investigation, Walsh said “They put this on their very important list, their priority list. Obviously, there must be a big problem that needs to be addressed, and it isn’t just around Seth. It’s the whole nation.”

The American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday threatened to file suit if the bill proposed by Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (Republican-Prince William) banning gays from openly serving in the Virginia National Guard becomes law in 2011, the Washington Post reporting that Kent Willis, the ACLU’s executive director said “Not only is Delegate Marshall’s proposal an affront to gay men and lesbians throughout the state but it will surely be ruled unconstitutional before it is ever implemented.” Marshall announced the proposal after the U.S. Senate Saturday voted to repeal a military ban on openly gay service members that had been in place for 17 years. Willis added that “Delegate Marshall is outflanked on this one and would only be wasting taxpayers’ dollars and the General Assembly’s time by pushing this legislation.”

The New York Times reports that a number of American colleges are reconsidering decisions to bar the Reserve Officers Training Corps from recruiting on campus after the Senate voted to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The presidents of Columbia, Harvard, and Yale have issued statements expressing interest in bringing back the R.O.T.C..; however it remains unclear whether enough student interest exists on those campuses to justify their presence. The R.O.T.C. was banned from a number of Ivy League colleges in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in the wake of student protests against the Vietnam War, and more recently, because of a military ban prohibiting openly gay service members.

Alberta Continues To List Homosexuality As A Mental Disorder

Alberta continues to list homosexuality as a “mental disorder” alongside bestiality and pedophilia, and physicians in the Canadian province used the diagnostic code to bill the province for treating gays and lesbians more than 1,750 times between the years 1995 and 2004, government records show. The Edmonton Journal reports that the province has known about the classification for over a decade and that the Conservative government pledged to change it in 1998. Tuesday, Conservative Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky again promised to remove the classification, saying “It has no place in Alberta,” adding that he has called for an immediate review of the entire 300-page diagnostic code, saying “It is simply an incorrect and unacceptable classification and I’ve ordered it to be removed immediately.” In 1998, then health-minster Halvard Jonson wrote a letter to the then Liberal health critic Gary Dickson, promising the codes would be changed, saying “A new coding structure has been developed which Alberta Health is considering. This new coding will address the concerns regarding the classifications of the diagnostic code for homosexuality.” Alberta’s current diagnostic codes were last update in 2005, the same year that British Columbia removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Four years later, China did the same. However, in Alberta, homosexuality still sits under the heading of Mental Disorders, Sexual Deviations and Disorders, where it tops the list, followed by bestiality, pedophilia, and transvestism. Neither Zwozdesky nor Alberta Health and Wellness spokesperson Howard May could explain why the province’s diagnostic codes could have not been revised, May, offering something akin to defence, saying “These are not Alberta’s codes, they were developed by the World Health Organization, under international guidelines, and are in use in many provinces.” When asked why Alberta’s current codes are based on the 1975 ICD-9 and not on the 1990 ICD-10 that deletes homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, May answered “The codes are extremely complex. It would be a vast undertaking to change them.” Human rights activist Rob Wells, who has been fighting to have the code removed for more than ten years, and who filed a human rights complaint against the province on December 15th, said “People point to the diagnostic codes to justify their homophobic bigotry. It is used by a lot of fundamentalists to justify their homophobia, to claim homosexuals are diseased.”

United Nations Passes Resolution Restoring Reference To Sexual Orientation In Declaration Condemning Arbitrary, Extrajudicial, And Summary Executions; Zimbabwe Ambassador Admonishes Amendment While Comparing Homosexuality To Bestiality And Pedophilia

Reuters reports that the United States succeeded Tuesday in getting the United Nations to restore a reference to killing due to sexual orientation that had been deleted from resolution condemning unjustified executions. In November, the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee approved an Arab and African proposal to remove a reference to slayings due to sexual orientation from a resolution on arbitrary, extrajudicial, and summary executions. Today, the 192-nation General Assembly approved a United States amendment to the resolution restoring the reference to sexual orientation with 93 yes votes, 55 no votes, and 27 abstentions. The amended resolution was subsequently adopted with 122 votes in favour, none against, and 59 abstentions. The General Assembly passes resolutions condemning arbitrary, extrajudicial, and summary executions every two years, the 2008 declaration included an explicit reference to killings committed motivated on the victim’s sexual actual or perceived orientation. Tuesday, prior to the vote, Zimbabwe’s U.N. Ambassador Chitsaka Chipaziwa admonished the United States amendment, arguing that referring to sexual orientation explicitly was not required, making absurd comparisons linking homosexuality and bestiality. “We will not it foisted on us,” he said. “We cannot accept this, especially if it entails accepting such practices as bestiality, pedophilia, and those practices many societies would find abhorrent in their value systems. In our view, what adult people do in their private capacity by mutual consent does not need agreement or rejection by governments, save where such practices are legally proscribed.” Susan Rice, the United States Ambassador, who sponsored the amended resolution, said in a statement “Today, the United Nations General Assembly has sent a clear and resounding message that justice and human rights apply to all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation.” Phillippe Bolopion, of the Human Rights Watch, concurred with Rice’s sentiment, saying “We are relieved by the result of the vote. Countries that tried to roll back crucial protections for gay and lesbian people have been defeated.”

North Carolina Supreme Court Nullifies Same Sex Adoption

On Monday, North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the adoption of Melissa Jarrell’s son by state Senator Julie Boseman was invalid because Durham County District Court judge waived a requirement five years ago that Jarrell had to relinquish her parental rights in the process, the News Observer reports. The adoption was approved by a lower court, but the plan allowed Boseman to become the adoptive parent while permitting Jarrell to retain her parental rights in the process. Consequently, Associate Justice Paul Newby wrote that the adoption never occurred legally since lawmakers have made clear that the biological parent must terminate a legal relationship with the child. Jarrell and Boseman, who is North Carolina’s first openly gay member of the General Assembly, had been living together when Jarrell gave birth to Jacob in 2002. A majority of justices let stand the lower court’s ruling allowing the couple to share joint custody of the child, arguing that it would be in the best interest of Jacob. However, the Supreme Court ruling eliminates a method used by same sex couples to adopt – referred to as second parent adoptions – which have been granted in both Durham and Orange counties in recent years. Newby, who wrote the majority ruling, said that “If our uniform court system is to be preserved, a new form of adoption cannot be made available in some counties but not all.” According to Michelle Connell, an attorney and chairwoman of the family law section of the North Carolina Bar Association, for two-parent adoptions to occur by parents of the same sex (granting inheritance and other rights to the child) either same sex marriage would have to be created in North Carolina or the adoption law would need to be amended.

According To Private Justin Rea The Repeal Of The Military Policy Prohibiting Openly Gay Personal Will Not Be Totally Accepted By Marines Because “Being Gay Means You Are Kind Of Girly,” Pending Lawsuits Brought Against Gay Ban Will Remain In Place Until Repeal Is Complete, Honoring Fallen Gay Soldier Major Alan Rogers, Believing Corporal Dennis Engelhard A Hero Missouri Names Highway In Honor Of Late Highway Patrol Officer While Denying His Partner Survivor Benefits

The New York Times canvasses a cross-section of Marines in the wake of Congress passing landmark legislation Saturday lifting a 17 year old ban on openly gay service members, Private first-class Daniel Carias, an 18 year old native of New York City about to graduate from Marine Corps infantry training at Camp Geiger in North Carolina, saying he believes that the repeal was the right thing to do, but adds that gay men should not be allowed to serve in front-line combat units, saying “They won’t hold well.” According to the Times, “Most of the approximately two dozen Marines interviewed said they personally did not object to gay men or lesbians serving openly in the military. But many said that introducing the possibility of sexual tension into combat forces would be disruptive, an argument made by the commandant of the Marine Corps a week before the historic repeal was passed by the Senate on Saturday and sent to President Obama for his signature.” Corporal Trevor Colbath, a 22 year old who saw duty in Afghanistan, returning state-side in August, expressed a slightly nuanced version of the same argument, saying “Coming from a combat unit, I know that in Afghanistan we’re packed in a sardine can. There’s no doubt in my mind that openly gay Marines can serve, it’s just different in a combat unit. Maybe they should just take the same route they take with females and stick them to non-combat units.” Those opinions, of course, parrot popular and unfair stereotypes, since gay men already serve honorably and with distinction in front-line units, albeit not openly, having had to adhere to the ban. The oddest statements contained in the article comes courtesy of two teens, 19 year old Private Justin Rea, who says gays “won’t be totally accepted” in the Marines because “Being gay means you are kind of girly. The Marines are, you know, macho.”

The Associated Press reports that pending lawsuits against the American military ban on openly gay service members will remain, for now, even though the Senate voted Saturday to repeal the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said Monday that it will not remove a lawsuit filed last week on behalf of three officers honorably discharged under the ban until they are re-instated. The Ninth United States Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is also considering the government’s appeal of a decision made in Riverside, California in September that struck down the law as being unconstitutional, the Log Cabin Republicans, who brought the suit, saying it will not move to end the case until the Pentagon certifies the repeal and ceases any and all investigations of service personal for being gay.

The New York Daily News reports that the late Major Alan Rogers, a gay soldier, a native of the Bronx, who fought for repeal of the military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, and who was killed in action in Iraq, was honored Saturday by friends shortly after the Senate voted to repeal the ban. Rogers was 40 when he killed in January, 2008, his Humvee struck by an IED while on patrol. He was adopted at age 3 – his father having denied being his father as well as being incarcerated; his mother was unable to care for him. The couple who adopted him both died in 2000. When he died, because of the circumstances surround the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” he was unable to list a same sex partner as the person to be notified in case of an emergency. His cousin, Cathy Long, was presented with the folded American flag at his funeral in Arlington National Ceremony, and she, along with the rest of his family, were asked by the Army not discuss his homosexuality. It seems that Rogers hid (or at least did not call attention) his sexual orientation, likely because he wanted to serve his country, Cathy later saying “We really didn’t know about this until after his death. It was in the back of our minds, but we didn’t discuss it.”

Monday, the state of Missouri dedicated a stretch of Interstate 44 in Franklin County for Corporal Dennis Engelhard, killed in the line of duty Christmas Day, 2009, reports the St. Louis Dispatch. Engelhard was attempting to aid a stranded motorist on 1-44 at Highway 100 when another vehicle lost control and killed him. The bill renaming the stretch of highway – called Corporal Dennis E. Engelhard Memorial Highway – was signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon July 12th. He was the 28th officer of the Missouri Highway Patrol to lose his life in the line of the duty. Engelhard was gay, and his partner, Kelly Glossip, has been denied surviving benefits by the state, which does not recognize domestic partners. He recently announced he was filing a lawsuit against the pension system for the Highway Patrol.

Male Model Charles DeVoe Died As Result Of Surfing Accident

The New York Daily News is reporting that male model Charles DeVoe, whose death was announced Friday, had been hospitalized since November 12th, when he suffered a surfing accident in the Rockaways. He had fallen into a coma and never regained consciousness. New York City Fire Department officials had to cut DeVoe free after his ankle tether became tangled on a wooden pole. He was in the water for several minutes before rescuers could reach him. DeVoe’s agent, Jason Kanner, said Charles was “a lovely kid who was respected and loved by many.” DeVoe, a native of Philadelphia, moved to New York City after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His family said that the young man was always interested in “adventurous sports” and that he will be “greatly missed.”

South African Delegation Announces Bid To Host Mr. Gay World 2012, German Politician Says Gays Have No Right To Adopt Children, Gay Men Chorus Of Los Angeles Performance Condemns Anti-Gay Hate, Levi Johnston Is Sunny, Jensen Button Is Scruffy And Wet

Buried in a Guardian article about the continuing climate of anti-gay hate that envelops Africa, is news that on December 12th, a group of influential South Africans bid for the 2012 Mr. Gay World final, the newspaper, underlining the obvious, writing “At a time when non-heterosexual lifestyles are under intense fire in African countries, a successful bid by South Africa would give the pageant a political spin it has never enjoyed before.” The current Mr. Gay World is Charl van den Berg, who happens to be a white South African, and Coenie Kukkuk, a Pretoria attorney who is the director of the South African bid to host Mr. Gay World 2012 says "The event is not a modeling competition. Charl is a gay role model who gives courage to gays all over Africa and shows them their lives are about more than repression, torture, HIV and prison sentences. That message will be enhanced if we can elect the 2012 Mr. Gay World on African soil, where the vast majority of governments are anti-gay and are currently hardening their repressive laws.'' The 2012 host country will be announced at the 2011 finals March 13th in the Philippines.

Volker Kauder, the parliamentary leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, told the German-language daily Berliner Zeitung Monday that gay couples have no right to have children, according to The Local he said “This has to be accepted, even if it’s difficult for those affected. I don’t think children wish to be raised by homosexual couples.” He added that the issue is not one of gay rights, but the rights of the children, saying “It’s not about whether the adults want to live as a happy family. There’s no right to have a child.” Germany introduced registered partnerships for same sex couples in 2001; however that law stops short of affording them full legal rights similar to those given to married opposite sex couples. Gays can legally adopt the children of their partner, but cannot, as a couple, adopt an unrelated child.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles performed a somber musical tribute Saturday evening in Glendale honoring gay men and women who have recently committed suicide after being bullied, reports the Glendale News-Press. Chorus members placed a single red rose on a lone white stool to mark those men and women who were harassed for being gay and later took their own lives. The gesture resonated with those in attendance, including 19 year old Glendale High School graduate Vaheh Gabri, who said “It shows a sense of support. It shows a sense of pride and acknowledgement. It’s really a big necessity, especially in Glendale.”

Wasilla, Alaska mayoral candidate Levi Johnston has a new girlfriend, reports the Daily News, and she is Sunny ... Oglesby, the couple together for two months.

A scruffy, sexy, shaggy-haired Jenson Button, the Formula One driver, pre-City of Rockingham Triathlon in Perth, Australia Sunday, soon after seen in the water wearing a skintight wetsuit.