In State Capital Rick Santorum Warns That Washington Approval Of Same Sex Marriage Legislation Not “The Final Word,” Confronted With Lunatic Anti-Gay Protesters Interrupting His Sermon Bishop Gene Robinson Offers An Education On Christianity, Matt Bomer Comes Out, Bradley Cooper Arrives, Mr Thomas Egli Named Mr Gay Canada

Rick Santorum said Monday that Washington state's approval of gay marriage is "not the final word," as the Republican presidential hopeful rallied opponents who are exploring a referendum to block the law. The Tri-City Herald reports Santorum's visit to the state capital came within an hour of Governor Chris Gregoire signing the same sex marriage bill into law. Before meeting with political leaders in the Legislative building, he held a private meeting with religious leaders at an Olympia church. "I encouraged them to continue the fight," Santorum said. "There are ebbs and flows in every battle, and this is not the final word." The former Pennsylvania senator said the law waters down marriage at a time when divorce rates are already up. He argued that there are societal consequences without strong traditional marriages, including more people going to prison, more dropouts from school, higher poverty rates and higher government spending. Still, Santorum said the debate needs to be respectful on both sides, indicating that supporters of same sex marriage have fair points to make, too. "There are legitimate reasons that people have to want to have to change the law, and there are legitimate reasons that people have to want to keep the law in place. If you keep it at that level, don't make it personal, make it about what is best for society, then I think we'll be fine." He believes it should be solved at the federal level, and he wants a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

On a day when Gene Robinson led the congregation of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in singing "All are Welcome," the country's first openly gay bishop was interrupted by demonstrators as he sermonized and talked with church members between services. And while Robinson's second service went off without incident, two members of South Concord Church of God were waiting on the sidewalk, Bibles in hand, when members of St. Martin's walked out afterward into the noontime cold. "False prophets," Richard Pope shouted. "Wake up, people. Wake up and read the truth of God. Quit believing lies." Robinson, according to those who witnessed the earlier incidents, handled the interruptions calmly. According to The Charlotte Observer, when loudly confronted during his sermon by one of the demonstrators that "Sodomy is a sin," the bishop responded that the homosexual prohibitions cited in the Bible are words from another era, not the timeless message of love for all that permeates so much of later Scripture. In his second sermon, he called on the audience to pray for the demonstrators. "I ask that they pray for me," Robinson added. "We're all trying to do the best we can. We're all trying to figure this out." The bishop appeared at the church as part of St. Martin's yearlong birthday party celebrating 125 years as a congregation, a century in its sanctuary on Seventh Street in Elizabeth. While in town, he spoke at a fund-raiser for the Regional Aids Interfaith Network in Charlotte and also met with students at UNC Charlotte through a visit arranged by the Department of Religious Studies. After a long procession led the New Hampshire bishop to the altar for the 10:30 am worship, St. Martin's pastor, the Rev. Murdoch Smith, stood before the crowd and asked visitors to respect the ceremony. "We ask that you worship alongside of us and not interrupt," Smith said, "so that we can all celebrate the presence of God in this place." Robinson, limping on a recently broken foot, took it from there. He called on the 300 people in the pews before him to work harder to integrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people into their spiritual lives. He named his sermon, Hospitality ain't enough. "It's not bad as far as it goes. Tolerance is better than intolerance, but it's not near enough," he said. "It's not near as good as affirmation, respect and embrace. It stops short of where we need to be, where we need to go." He took listeners on a history lesson, arguing that believers - and churches - have used Scripture to justify slavery, to subordinate women and now to treat gays as sinners and spiritual outliers. "It's not enough that we pull drowning people out of a raging stream," Robinson said. "We have to go upstream and figure out who's throwing them in the first place. "God is calling on you to change a system that tells people they are not worthy of God's love." Robinson, a native of rural Kentucky, was ordained bishop of New Hampshire in 2004. He wore a bulletproof vest to that ceremony, and the election of a gay man, who has since married his longtime partner, continues to be a source of discord for Episcopalians and other denominations around the world. Sunday, Robinson helped deliver communion, during which the church and the assembled choirs roared through "All are Welcome." After the last verse, Robinson paused the service to tell a story. In 2008, he was the only bishop not invited to a once-a-decade gathering of church leaders that's been going on since 1867. Those on hand also sang "All are Welcome." Robinson reflected on the "irony and cruelty" of that musical selection, and how joining in with the voices at St. Martin's "had healed a place in my heart that still was in pain. You sing it like you mean it."

White Collar star Matt Bomer officially came out as gay on Saturday when he publicly thanked his partner, Simon Halls, and their three children while accepting an award. The Hollywood Reporter says that the star of USA's hit series attended the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards this weekend, where he received the New Generation Arts and Activism Award for his efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, and Henry, “he said onstage. "Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment." Bomer’s partner, Hall, is a publicist with Slate PR. He represents Ryan Murphy, Neil Patrick Harris and such production companies as Working Title. Bomer, 34, has previously declined comment when asked about his love life. In its January 2010 issue, Details magazine asked the actor if he cared about the rumours questioning if he was gay. He responded: “I don't care about that at all. I'm completely happy and fulfilled in my personal life,” adding, "I have a network and a show riding on my shoulders. I would say a big difference between my character and me is that I can be too trusting. And I've realized in this business that's not necessarily the smartest thing to be. I definitely have a thing or two to learn from the con artists." Bomer will guest star in an April episode of Glee as Blaine's (Darren Criss) older brother. Bomer also has joined Glee creator Murphy's next feature, the big-screen adaptation of the Tony-winning drama The Normal Heart. Additionally, he stars in Magic Mike, the male stripper movie based loosely on Channing Tatum's own experience and set for release in June. A video of his speech Saturday is at the source.

Bradley Cooper, who has not come out, spotted arriving at Los Angeles International Airport.

As part of the 20th annual WinterPRIDE festivities being held in Whistler, Thomas Egli has been named Mr. Gay Canada 2012. The Mr. Gay Canada competition, now in its fourth year as part of the WinterPRIDE celebrations, determines who will represent Canada in the prestigious Mr. Gay World competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, which takes place this April. With five contestants vying for the spot, Egli was selected following three days of participating in challenges, which included a swim suit competition, mini fashion show, sports challenge, interviews and presentation skills. "This journey has been exceptional and exciting. The weeks leading up to this competition and the events themselves have taught me much about myself and I have grown much more than I could have expected," said Egli in a statement. "I am honoured to serve as a much-needed positive role model for LGBT youth in Canada and around the world." The Vancouver-based Egli divides his time as an international tour leader and an ecologist, being an owner of a research diving company as well as an educator with National Geographic. He also actively spreads the message to LGBT youth that being gay is not about stereotypes, but about self expression. "Popular media and gay culture bombard us with stereotypes which can be confusing for people who are just coming out. I want to increase awareness of the true diversity of the LGBT community," said Egli. "I also want to promote healthy lifestyles in the gay community. I am thankful for all of the support I've received from family and friends, new and old. The next exciting step is to prepare for the upcoming event in South Africa , where I will proudly represent Canada." Ken Coolen, Co-Executive Producer of Mr. Gay Canada also said in a statement, "All five delegates are incredible role models for Canada's LGBT community and worthy of being Mr. Gay Canada. The Judging panel was especially impressed by Thomas' maturity and leadership. They are confident in his ability to represent Canada's LGBT community to the world." Also awarded at the February 11th ceremonies were Calan Breckon, who won Mr. Congeniality 2012 and Brian Webb, who won People's Choice Online Voting 2012.