Maine Same Sex Marriage Advocates Collect Significant Signatures To Place Referendum Question On November Ballot, Two Men Convicted Of June 2011 Portland Oregon Hate Crime, New Mexico Governor Martinez Pushes Back Against Hair Stylist Same Sex Marriage Protest, Out Dallas County Judge Parker Refuses To Conduct Marriage Because They “Can’t Be Performed For Me,” Catholic Phoenix Radio Host In Battle With Church Over Her Support Of Gay Community, Chad White And Brian Shimansky Marry (For Fashion), Jack Laugher

Advocates for same sex marriage turned in enough valid signatures to get a question on the November ballot, according to gay-rights groups. The Kennebec Journal reports that the Secretary of State's Office validated more than 85,000 signatures, advocates said. They needed at least 57,000 valid signatures to get a question on the ballot. The Secretary of State's Office didn't immediately confirm the announcement, but said it would be releasing more information shortly. The decision by the Secretary of State means a bill can go forward to the Maine Legislature that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine. The legislature likely won't approve that bill, meaning the question will probably end up on the November ballot. Maine voters rejected same sex marriage by a 53-47-percent vote in 2009. But recent polling shows more Mainers and Americans support same sex marriage than they did three years ago.

Two men who harassed a gay man last June in Old Town Portland -- then beat up the good Samaritan who came to his defense -- have both been convicted of a hate crime. According to The Oregonian, Shawn Christopher Siefke and Christian Sanchez-Villavicencio pleaded guilty to second-degree intimidation and fourth-degree assault -- for targeting the man and a good Samaritan who stopped to help last June 25 at about 3:00 am. The gay man was walking from a club near Northwest Second Avenue and Flanders Street when Siefke and Sanchez-Villavicencio stopped him and asked for directions. They started calling him derogatory names. A man who was visiting from Newport told them to stop, and Siefke and Sanchez-Villavicencio pummelled him. The attackers, who were both drunk, left and the victims flagged down police. The attackers came running back to police -- apparently because they had stumbled upon a homeless encampment and refused to stop making noise. The homeless people began to beat them. Siefke, 29, was seen as the instigator and received a stiffer sentence Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. He was ordered to 30 days jail, 80 hours of community service, anger management classes and possible drug and alcohol treatment. He also must write a letter of apology. The 30 days of jail, however, won't add to the period of time he already will be incarcerated for -- he was sentenced recently to 1 1/2 years in federal prison for selling oxycodone. Sanchez-Villavicencio was sentenced in November to two years probation and to drug and alcohol treatment, if an evaluator determines it's necessary. He also has written a letter of apology.

The public fight between New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and a Santa Fe hair stylist has escalated, reports The Los Angeles Times. Earlier this week, KOB-TV ran an interview with Antonio Darden, who has cut the Republican governor’s hair a handful of times. Darden, who is gay, announced he would never do so again unless Martinez dropped her opposition to same sex marriage. The spectacle of the stylist's protest blew up the Internet. So Martinez’s office spent Thursday fighting back. A few months ago, Martinez needed a haircut on short notice, spokesman Greg Blair told The Times in an e-mail. One of her staffers called about half a dozen hair stylists, including Darden, before finding one who could fit her in. At the time, Darden didn’t utter a word about same sex marriage, Blair said. That changed in recent weeks, when Darden left a voice mail that the governor’s office released to reporters Thursday. In it, Darden appears to have recently learned that Martinez opposed same sex marriage, and said he was “upset and distraught” over her stance. Then Darden mentioned a recent controversy in which a Democratic lawmaker referred to Martinez as “the Mexican” for whom a colleague had been “carrying water.” (The lawmaker later apologized.) “I do believe the comment about ‘taking the Mexican some water’ was appropriate, since she wants to be attacking the gay people,” Darden said in the message. “You may pass this on and let her listen to it. And, Susana, if you are listening to it, shame on you,” adding, “I am going to let all gay people know: stop serving you; stop providing you with what you need.” It’s unclear what prompted Darden’s phone call. Perhaps it was the flurry of recent headlines about gay marriage: Washington state recently joined six states and the District of Columbia in recognizing same sex unions, while lawmakers in New Jersey and Maryland have considered such measures. In New Mexico, which does not permit same sex marriage, Martinez recently took heat from social conservatives for appointing an openly gay man to the state’s Public Regulation Commission. “The governor has been very clear that she does not support gay marriage,” Blair said, “but does believe that all people should be judged on their merits and not discriminated against.”

Out lesbian Dallas County Judge Tonya Parker touted her refusal to conduct marriage ceremonies in her courtroom on Tuesday night. “I have the power, of course, to perform marriage ceremonies,” Parker said. “I don’t.” According to The Dallas Voice, the mention of her decision to not perform marriage ceremonies came while the 116th Civil District Court judge addressed the audience at the monthly meeting of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, of which Parker is a member. While Parker highlighted her progress in her first year as judge in what had been “the worst district court at the courthouse” with more old pending cases than the other 12 district courts, she also spoke about the importance of having an LGBT person on the bench. Parker is the first LGBT person elected judge in Dallas County and is believed to be the first openly LGBT African-American elected official in the state’s history. As such, Parker said she takes into account the importance of her position to make members of the LGBT community feel comfortable and equal in her courtroom by “going out of my way to do things that other people might not do because they are not who I am.” Using the example of turning young couples away who want the court to marry them quickly because they are often pregnant and desperate, Parker said she refers them to other judges because of the state’s marriage inequality, informing them that that is why she will not marry them. “I use it as my opportunity to give them a lesson about marriage inequality in this state because I feel like I have to tell them why I’m turning them away,” Parker said. “So I usually will offer them something along the lines of ‘I’m sorry. I don’t perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality, and until it does, I am not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn’t apply to another group of people.’ And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it.” Parker also said she refused to allow a prosecutor to use the terms “child molester” and “homosexual” interchangeably in her courtroom, saying that just because the man on trial was accused of assaulting boys, the term “heterosexual” wouldn’t be used in place of “child molester” in cases where a man is accused of assaulting a girl. And Parker said she includes the term partner when jurors are informed of the Texas Supreme Court directions that instruct jurors not to discuss cases with their husband or wife. “What I want to do is help those folks to have dignity in that moment that they are with me to know that I see you,” she said. “I see you and in that I have reflected to them that I have respect for them.” When asked about declining to perform marriage ceremonies in a follow-up phone interview on Wednesday, Parker said the decision was simply about equality and having to turn certain people away. “I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,” she said.

A Phoenix morning radio host is making headlines for taking a stand. Beth McDonald of 99.9 KEZ is in a conflict with a Catholic Church group over a gay pride parade. FOX 10 reports that it began as a misunderstanding. Beth McDonald stepped down as emcee of a Catholic Community Foundation fundraising dinner after the group questioned her about an invitation she received to participate in a gay pride parade. McDonald is an outspoken Catholic and gay rights supporter. We didn’t have one negative phone call at the radio station this morning,” McDonald said. “Out of 100 emails I had 3 or 4 referencing the Bible and how I was wrong, but I understand people will have different opinions on this.” McDonald was asked to emcee the Crozier Gala, the organization’s dinner. But at the same time... “I had been asked by Gay Pride Phoenix to be the grand marshal of their parade.” She could not be the grand marshal at the time because of prior commitments, but she agreed to support the event as she had in years past. “I do support the gay community. I always have supported gay community. I will continue to do so into the future.” The Catholic foundation had some concerns over what her role would be in the gay parade. Beth told the group: “why should we marginalize a community? It’s a human rights issue, it’s a civil rights issue.” McDonald says the group wanted to think about her point. “After they left I had some soul searching. There is nothing more to discuss. I’m stepping down. I’ll make it easy for you.” Brandi Sokolosky of Gay Pride Phoenix, said, “My initial reaction was good for her. Thank you. Thank you for taking a stand.” The Catholic Community Foundation emailed us a statement. Foundation President and CEO, Donna Marino, responded to Beth's email stating in part, “We are grateful for your support of the Crozier Gala... regretfully, I accept your decision to step down as the Master of Ceremonies." McDonald says she continues to get emails and calls from people gay and straight supporting her decision. She says she even got a call from a gay priest here in the local diocese who told her thank you.

Male models Chad White and Brian Shimansky marry for an editorial for Flaunt magazine titled Some Dudes Marry Dudes.

Tom Daley’s Team Great Britain men’s diving teammate Jack Laugher seen during competition at the 18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup.