Log Cabin Republicans Condemn Rick Perry Campaign Ad That Seems To Suggest Gays In The Military Have Ruined Christmas, Landmark Lawsuit Claiming Bias Based On Sexual Orientation Settled, El Paso Gay Community Forms Political Action Committee To Fight Recall Of Mayor And Two Council Members, Anti-Gay Colorado Senator Hints He May Challenge Congressman Jared Polis, David Burtka, Josh Hartnett Hikes, Zac Efron

The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group, on Wednesday criticized a new ad from Rick Perry in which the Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate suggests "there's something wrong" when gays can serve openly in the military but kids "can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school." CBS News reports that R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said, "Our nation was built upon individual liberty and individual responsibility, and open service by gay and lesbian service members is directly in line with the vision of our Founding Fathers. It is wrong for Governor Perry to assume being a person of faith does not afford one to support equality." Perry's new ad, released earlier Wednesday, seemingly designed to appeal to far-right conservatives, includes a call by the candidate to end "Obama's war on religion." In it, Perry, clad in a barn coat, tells the camera, "I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian, but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school." Perry, who hosted a religious revival called "The Response" shortly before beginning his campaign, also vowed in the ad to "fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage." In response to the spot, the Log Cabin Republicans also said it wanted to remind Perry that he "is running to be Commander-in-Chief, not Theocrat-in-Chief." Perry is spending more than $1 million to run ads between now and the January 3 caucuses in Iowa, where evangelicals make up a significant portion of the GOP electorate. The Texas governor, who entered the race as a favourite but who is polling in the single digits nationally after a series of stumbles, is hoping to revive his campaign with a paid-media driven surge in the Hawkeye state, where his standing was 11-percent in this week's CBS News/New York Times poll.

In Ohio, the plaintiff in a lawsuit claiming bias based on sexual orientation has collected a $100,000 settlement paid out of taxpayer funds. News Channel 5 reports that Shari Hutchinson no longer works for the Cuyahoga Support Enforcement Agency. She left her employment last month and received the payout to settle her 2008 claim that she was passed over for promotion because she is a lesbian. Hutchinson sued the county, claiming bias -- saying less qualified heterosexual persons were promoted despite her having a Masters degree in business administration and excellent performance evaluations. The county denied her claims. Currently, there is no federal or state law prohibiting workplace bias based on sexual orientation. However, U.S. District Court Judge James Gwin ruled Hutchinson's claim did fall under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. At a news conference today, Hutchinson's attorney, Avery Friedman, said the case sets a precedent which could affect millions of workers. But Friedman also pointed out that the protection would only apply to government employees. Private employers are not bound by provisions of the U.S. Constitution -- which is why Friedman and organizations like "Freedom to Work”, also attending today's press conference, are pushing for legislation outlawing sexual orientation bias in the workplace. Laws enacted at the federal or state levels would then protect private employees. Shari Hutchinson said she is joining Freedom to Work as a citizen advocate and speaker. Ironically, Cuyahoga County does have a long-standing written policy against sexual orientation discrimination -- but Friedman said the policy was not enforced. News Channel l5 contacted current Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald's office for comment on the Hutchinson case, payout and county anti-discrimination policy. Chief of Staff Matt Carroll responded saying, "The legal settlement speaks for itself, the county is going to follow its policies."

Members of El Paso's gay community have formed a new political action committee to help the Mayor and two city representatives stay in office. KVIA reports that council members Steve Ortega and Susie Byrd and Mayor John Cook are facing a recall election initiated by another PAC, El Paso For Traditional Family Values, after the elected officials did not implement a voter-approved ordinance meant to take away the health insurance of gay and unwed partners of city employees. The representatives said they voted not to implement the ordinace, which was written and put on the ballot by El Paso For Traditional Family Values, because it was so vaguely written, city attorneys said it would also take away the health insurance of about another unintended 100 city employees. El Pasoans For Equality's Chair, Tony Ramos, said the idea to form a PAC came after he and a few friends talked about how quiet and uninvolved the gay community had been over the past two years the issue of domestic partner benefits turned recall effort had developed in the city. "I think that El Paso is a very gracious city, a very gracious community and it has allowed us to go about our lives pretty much happily, which has bread some sort of complacency on our parts. And now when we are under full attack by those who would like to see our rights taken back, it is very important for us to show our face, to show that we are very much a part of this community, because we do not want to go back, after all the gains that we have made, in our fight for equality." Ramos said in an interview on Wednesday. Recall organizers, who are part of the same PAC that wrote the original ordinance to take away the health insurance of domestic partners, now claim their efforts are no longer about gay or unwed relationships. "The gay rights and the medical expenses become secondary. First, we protect our constitution.," said Ignacio Padilla, a recall organizer. Ramos said Cook, Byrd and Ortega did what was necessary to keep unintended people from losing their health coverage. "I can understand the frustration of somebody who voted, not feeling like their vote was counted, but as has been pointed out several times, had they known the full effect of their vote, had they known that hundreds of people were going to lose their benefits that were not intended to in the original ordinance, I think they would understand that what happpend was an action of checks and balances," he said. The formation and announcement of the new PAC comes as Cook is fighting to stop the recall process in court. He plans to appeal County Court #3 Judge Javier Alvarez's decision not to grant the mayor's request to freeze the recall process as the courts decide if the recall petitioners broke the law. Cook said petitioners broke the state election code by gathering signatures at churches and other corporations. Recall organizers argue that law is unconstitutional and limits their right to free speech. "It wasn't that I was afraid of facing a recall election, because I'm confident that I'll be successful in that, but it was more about the fact that they thought they were above the law because they were a church," Cook said Wednesday. Padilla takes issue with Cook's allegations. "He continues to try and lie to the community that we did things wrong, we didn't do anything wrong. We're very proud of what we did," he said. Cook said he owes nearly $200,000 in legal fees stemming from the effort to halt the recall process. "I can use help from anybody. The legal fees are just eating me alive right now." Ramos said the new PAC already has several fundraisers in the works to help the mayor pay his legal fees. Ramos said the PAC will reach out to the gay community through voter registration drives, block-walking and teaming up with business establishments where gay patrons congregate, including gay bars. "We cannot let one faction of this city set us back. History is going to be on the side of those who fight for equality, so regardless of what happens to Susie, the Mayor or Steve, history is going to speak well of them because they are the ones who are really in the forefront of equality," said Ramos. Padilla doesn't agree. "Until the state of Texas approves same sex marriages as a legal marriage, I'm sorry, they don't have benefits... We can't turn into a super gay community, what about the other people who are paying their taxes... We will fight to the end to defend our constitutional rights and our right to vote and that our vote be respected," he said.

Colorado State Senator Kevin Lundberg, one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly, and a vocal opponent of gay rights, has formed an exploratory committee, taking the first official step toward a run for Congress next year. Lundberg, a Republican from Berthoud, announced on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that he's considering challenging Democratic Congressman Jared Polis for his seat. Should that race materialize, the contrasts will be sharp between Lundberg, a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and Polis, an openly gay millionaire from Boulder who's championed the DREAM Act. The potential match-up only materialized earlier this week after the Colorado Supreme Court decided a long battle over redistricting in favour of a Democratic map that shifted Larimer County, which includes Berthoud, into Polis's 2nd Congressional District. "That's one of the things I've considered in all of this," Lundberg told FOX31 Denver Tuesday. "The reality is it still leans to the Democratic side. I know it's going to be a tough run. But I believe the people need a choice -- do we keep going down the road Jared Polis and Barack Obama have been taking us or do we go in a more conservative direction?" Lundberg made a point of noting that his decision to form an exploratory committee is no guarantee that he'll run, just a way to gauge his support. "I know I can't win this on my own," he said. "If it comes down to dollars and cents, Jared Polis wins big. But if it comes down to voters and the community, then that levels the playing field"

Neil Patrick Harris longtime partner David Burtka has been named as the newest E! correspondent, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Burtka will begin his duties in January.

The super sexy Josh Hartnett spotted hiking in Runyon Canyon.

A dapper Zac Efron spotted departing his New York City hotel Wednesday.