West Bend Wisconsin School Board Still Believes Gay-Straight Alliances Promote Unhealthy Lifestyles But Threatened With Lawsuit Reverse Earlier Rejection, U.S. Education Secretary Duncan Reminds School District That Under A Law Passed By The Reagan Administration It Is Illegal To Evict Gay-Straight Alliances, Adam Lambert’s Mother For PFLAG, Seattle Space Needle Will Now Fly Rainbow Fly For A Price, Rickie Fowler, Sean Avery Sizzles While Stumping For Same-Sex Marriage

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the West Bend Wisconsin School Board voted Monday to sanction a Gay-Straight Alliance student club at East and West high schools, rescinding an earlier decision to deny the group, but there is a caveat. By a 4-3 vote the seven-member board reversed a decision in May to deny club status to the group, which would have prevented it from using the schools' public address system, posting club-related information at the schools, using the schools' equipment and resources, raising funds for club activities and inclusion in the schools' yearbooks. That vote reversed a 3-3 vote on May 9 to block the club, action that prompted a federal lawsuit. The students' lawsuit alleges board members violated a federal law that forbids schools from denying access to their facilities based on an organization's beliefs. The alliance says its mission is "to combat bullying and harassment through education and advocacy and to provide an emotionally and physically healing learning environment for people of all gender and sexual orientations." The board vote Monday made the group's approval contingent on the federal lawsuit being dropped. Waring Fincke, an attorney representing the alliance, previously filed a discrimination complaint with the district. While that complaint was pending, district officials implemented new rules for club acceptance, and school administrators recommended that the School Board accept the group as a club. The rules state that sanctioned clubs must have a curricular tie, national or state affiliation, student appeal and a volunteer adviser. West Bend School Board President Randy Marquardt, who earlier voted to deny club status to the GSA, has said the group has been allowed to meet informally at East and West high schools for years, and added that he remains opposed to giving the group club status but said he did not believe a legal fight was in the district's interest, pointing to a legal opinion the board received that the district would lose in court. He said he felt uncomfortable that his conclusion was the result of the lawsuit, and without irony, said "I think all of us have been bullied and harassed by the GSA.” Board member Dave Weigand remained opposed to sanctioning the club. He said the legal fight was warranted to stand with parents who oppose the group on religious grounds. "I believe the board rescinded this because they just want this issue to go away," Weigand said, adding that he believed the lifestyle represented by GSA is harmful to young people. Nancy Harris of Kewaskum, the grandparent of an incoming West Bend East freshman, said the board's previous action tainted the entire community. "The charge of the board is to represent the entire student body," Harris said.

United States Education Secretary Arne Duncan has always stated that he wants his agency to step up its civil rights work, and Tuesday, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Duncan continued to demonstrate that commitment to student civil rights, issuing a “Dear Colleagues” letter to school districts reminding them that they cannot evict gay-straight alliances and clubs out of their schools under a law passed in the Reagan administration. This issue came up in Georgia in 2006 when a federal judge ruled that students in a gay activist group in White County High School must be allowed to hold meetings on school property. In his 35-page decision, Federal District Judge William C. O’Kelley in Gainesville issued a permanent injunction allowing the Gay-Straight Alliance student club to meet even though the club’s activities are not tied to school classes or curriculum. The school had tried to ban the club from meeting. The letter from Duncan, in part, is at the source.

Adam Lambert tweets a picture of his mother Leila marching in Sunday’s Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade alongside Ellen DeGeneres’ mother for PFLAG.

An update on a previous post, The Seattle Post Intelligencer reporting following news the Space Needle would not fly the rainbow flag during this month’s gay pride parade, the Seattle icon has changed course this week. It now says it will fly the flag, but only if $50,000 for four charities is raised. A privately owned company, the Space Needle donated the first $5,000. But the announcement still irked many people. “So basically the GLBT community and it’s (sic) supporters need to pay cold hard cash to be recognized as human beings… Brilliant,” John Eugene Bassett wrote on the Space Needle’s Facebook page. “This is pure discrimination,” Timothy King added. King said he would give individually to the charities, but not through what he called the Space Needle’s “discriminatory Pay-to-Play” plan. Many questioned why gays have to pay to see the flag atop Seattle’s most prominent symbol, while wondering if Seahawks fans are required to do the same to see the 12th Man flag. Jeff Wright, the Space Needle’s chairman, said the rainbow raising during last year’s pride parade – a significant moment for gay people – was a “one-time occurrence, as almost all of (the flag-raisings) are.”“We strive to keep this very special and do it on a limited basis,” Wright said of flag-raisings in a statement published on the Seattle Out & Proud site. Needle spokeswoman Mary Bacarella said the company has turned down a total of eight requests to fly the flag this year. Of the fundraising challenge, Wright said that “We want to harness the enthusiasm that has built up to raise the flag for the encore performance…We’re excited to see the response to this new community challenge and hope that it is very successful.” The Needle’s challenge calls for giving money to Lamba Legal; Mary’s Place, a local homeless shelter; a scholarship program with the Greater Seattle Business Association, an LGBT group; and the “It Gets Better” program for the Trevor Project, which helps gay and lesbian youths in crisis. As of Monday, nearly $10,000 had been raised.

GQ profiles 22 year old professionally golfer Rickie Fowler, who, with his Bieber-like popularity and Efron-like looks, is purportedly the PGA saviour.

The Times Union reports on the smoulderingly sexy Sean Avery, alongside Cynthia Nixon, in Albany, New York Tuesday afternoon, the Rangers’ forward a study in sartorial fabulousness, the twosome at the State Capital to stump for same-sex marriage.