Governor O’Malley Stars In Campaign For Marriage Equality In Maryland, Transgender Protection Laws Take Effect In Nevada, British Passports Will Contain Same Sex Parent Option, California Governor Signs Law Banning Local Governments From Outlawing Male Circumcision, Thomas Jane Plays A Game Where He Once Was A Gay Hustler But Then Chose To Be Straight

Starting Monday Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is appearing in a series videos aimed at selling his same-sex marriage legislation, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign said. The Baltimore Sun reports that the first video, which is online only, features the governor pitching his legislation and promising that it will “protect religious freedom." O'Malley said over the summer that he will make same-sex marriage one of a "handful" of priorities in next year's session. "I ask you to join us as we work to pass marriage equality in the state of Maryland," O'Malley says. The video was produced by Marylanders for Marriage Equality, an alliance of progressive advocates pushing same-sex marriage in the state. Notably, O'Malley does not once use the phrase "same-sex marriage" or "civil marriage" in the 47 second ad, terms were frequently use during the debate last session; instead he refers to his efforts as a push for "marriage equality."

Nevada's estimated 25,000 to 50,000 transgender people finally become full-fledged citizens under state law Saturday, a bill prohibiting discrimination against transgender men and women in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations go into effect, that according to a report by The Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It means I can feel I am part of the whole shebang," said Las Vegas marriage and family therapist Jane Heenan, a transgender activist. "I am included. I am OK. I don't feel I am such a weirdo." Nevada becomes the 15th state to extend the same legal protections to transgender people as it does to others on the basis of their race, creed, age, sex, religion, disability, national origin or sexual orientation. The Nevada Equal Rights Commission will investigate complaints when transgender people think they are victims of discrimination. Laws prohibiting discrimination against gay people became law in 1999. Transgender people are those who identify with or express behaviour consistent with the gender that is opposite to the one given them at birth. Some have gone through sex change operations, and many have undergone hormone replacement treatments. The laws do not apply to those with a fetish for occasionally cross-dressing, but to people who live a full-time lifestyle in the sex opposite of their birth sex.

United Kingdom passport forms are being updated to include options for same-sex parents, The BBC reporting that new forms including "parent one" and "parent two" alongside "mother" and "father" are expected to be brought in by the end of the year. The Home Office says the additional terms will ensure passports are issued safely to the right person. Gay rights groups say the current form is "discriminatory" but family values campaigners say the changes denigrate the roles of mothers and fathers. The proposals also include sex-free passports to allow transgender people to opt out of identifying themselves as either male or female. Sam Dick, head of policy at gay rights group Stonewall said: "These changes simply reflect the realities of modern life for families - making it clearer for same-sex parents applying for passports for their children and more straightforward for the officials who process them." Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: "To speak of 'parent one' and 'parent two' denigrates the place of both fathers and mothers.”Fathers and mothers are not interchangeable but have quite distinct roles to play in the care and nurture of their children." An Identity and Passport Service spokesperson said, "It is essential that any parent provides the necessary information on their status as parents or guardians when applying for a passport on behalf of their child. This protects the interests of the child and ensures that IPS are able to issue passports securely and safely to the right person. The passport application form is therefore being updated to incorporate same-sex parents." A similar change was implemented in America earlier this year.

California Governor Jerry Brown Sunday signed a bill that prevents local governments from banning male circumcision, a law that was conceived earlier this year after a ballot measure that would outlaw the practice appeared headed to San Francisco voters, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. Proponents of the ballot measure said the practice should be stopped because it caused "painful and damaging surgery to an unwilling patient." They also questioned arguments that circumcision has medical benefits. But Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank, jumped into the controversy in July, introducing AB768. He said he wanted to prevent local governments from creating their own "patchwork of regulations" covering medical procedures in the state. The Legislature passed the bill last month and sent it to Brown's office. Several groups, including the Jewish Community Relations Council, had filed suit to stop the measure. In late July, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ordered the measure taken off the ballot, saying it was "expressly pre-empted" by state law and served "no legitimate purpose." Matthew Hess, an activist behind the attempted ban in San Francisco, said Sunday that California had "taken a big step backward. ... Circumcision is elective surgery that an adult should be allowed to choose for himself."

In an interview Sunday with The Los Angeles Times, ahead of the third season premiere of HBO’s Hung, actor Thomas Jane says that at a time he worked as a gay hustler, telling the Times “when I was a kid out here in L.A., I was homeless, I didn't have any money and I was living in my car. I was 18. I wasn't averse to going down to Santa Monica Boulevard and letting a guy buy me a sandwich. Know what I mean?” Jane then implies that his sexuality is a choice, and that he chose heterosexuality.