Beaverton School District Will Pay $75,000 To Settle Seth Stambaugh Discrimination Case, American Civil Liberties Union Files Brief Supporting Eastern Michigan University Expulsion Of Anti-Gay Counselling Graduate Student, Spanish-Language Radio Program Dramatizes Homosexual Issues, Channing Tatum On A Master/Slave Relationship With Jamie Bell And His Healed Penis, Leonardo DiCaprio As J.Edgar Hoover In Silk Pyjamas, Clay Aiken Broadway Backwards, Adam Lambert

The Beaverton Oregon School District and student teacher Seth Stambaugh have agreed on the terms of settlement which will Stambaugh $75,000 for removing him from a classroom after he disclosed to a fourth-grade student that he is gay, reports the Oregonian. The district and Stambaugh announced the settlement in a joint statement released Friday. The 23 year old Stambaugh was removed from his student teaching position at Sexton Mountain Elementary in October, 2010, after a parent overheard a conversation between the student teacher and a 9 year old student, who asked if Stambaugh was married. Stambaugh answered that he was not, and when the student asked if it was because he was not old enough, Stambaugh explained that it was because if he wanted to marry, he would marry a man, and that is illegal. District officials at first said the conservation was not age-appropriate, and that it raised issues about Stambaugh’s professional judgement. Stambaugh accused the district of discrimination. By the end of October, he was reinstated. In today’s statement, attorneys representing Stambaugh and the district wrote that they agreed not to take the case to court because litigation “is not in the best interests of either party,” and that the $75,000 is being paid to “resolve all claims.” The district also agrees to provide leadership training about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, and will ensure that its policies are “inclusive in scope.” Stambaugh’s attorney said Friday that his client will finish his nine-month internship at Sexton Mountain Elementary School in June and plans to graduate this summer from Lewis & Clark College. Stambaugh said he would donate a minimum of $10,000 from the settlement to Outside In and P:ear, two Portland nonprofits that serve homeless and disadvantaged youth.

Ann Arbor.com reports that Friday morning the American Civil Liberties Union, and its Michigan chapter, filed a brief with the federal appeals court supporting Eastern Michigan University in a dispute with a former student, Julea Ward, who sued the school after it expelled her from the counselling program over her refusal to affirm a gay client’s relationship during a practicum. She says she believes homosexuality is immoral, and that being gay is a choice and could not, therefore, in good conscience, counsel the client. Despite losing in a lower court, Ward and her attorneys, the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund, have asked the United States Court of Appeal for the Sixth District, to hear the case. Daniel Mach, the director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Beliefs, said in a press release that “While counsellors are certainly entitled to their own religious beliefs, EMU correctly took steps to prevent Ms. Ward from imposing those beliefs on her clients in the university’s training program. EMU would be remiss if it allowed counselling students to discriminate against clients for any reason, including sexual orientation.”

The Associated Press on a new Spanish-language radio drama that is helping to break the silence surrounding homosexuality in California’s rural communities. The radionovela program titled “Bienvenidos a Casa” or “Welcome Home,” premiered Friday, and it tells the tale of Carlos, a gay Latino teen, initially rejected by his community, who eventually finds acceptance.

Channing Tatum, currently starring in The Eagle with Jamie Bell, talks to Vulture, who asks the cute Channing about the overt homoeroticism and sadomasochistic elements of the film. “Well there are swords, and two guys are sword fighting. There’s a metaphor there I’m sure. And back in the Roman day I think it was probably more accepted than it is now. But there’s none in the movie. Me and [director Kevin Macdonald] talked a lot before we started filming: There is no love story in the movie, but it’s a relationship movie for sure. I think Jamie had a lot of fun having me as a slave. I don’t think I took advantage of it like I should have when he was my slave. But Jamie, yeah — he abused me. So maybe there was some frustration coming out a little bit here and there.” As for his burned penis, suffered during an on-set accident, Tatum says “It’s great. I’m back on top. No scarring, nothing. That part of your body is very regenerative.”

Leonardo DiCaprio filming scenes for J.Edgar, DiCaprio caught with his hands down the front of his see-through silk pyjamas.

A solo Clay Aiken spotted at the after party for Broadway Backwards benefit February 7th, the sixth annual concert raising $281,243 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS, Aiken performing Home from the musical The Wiz.

Adam Lambert seen February 10th at Avalon in Los Angeles, with friend Ferras.