Halloween Treat: Lesbian Vampire Flick Preview

(Link) As we predicted months ago, the lesbian vampire flick "Eternal" is now available at Netflix for your viewing pleasure! Any other suggestions we missed? Leave them in the comments section so we can stock up for next year. And click an ad, Ebeneezer. Broadband's not cheap.

UK's "East Enders" to Feature Lesbian Kiss

(Link) Ratings flagging? Let's introduce a lesbian subplot! Because audiences love lesbians -- except when they start gettin' all political and whining about civil rights.

Lesbian Minister Defrocked by Church Court

(Link) Despite an earlier reversal, Rev Beth Stroud's rollercoaster ride comes to an end when the United Methodist Church Judicial Council decides her life is "incompatible with Christian teachings."

Guard Who Raped Lesbian Loses Appeal

(Link) Jury finds his claim that "she really wanted it" and "just needed a good man" too hard to believe. He'll soon find himself meeting plenty of "good men" in prison.

Bi-Teen's Rebuttal of Ex-Gay Movement Banned

(Link) When high school senior Katie Thompson decided to fight back by writing back over an article claiming Christianity can "cure" homosexuality, she found her well-researched response was too hot to handle.

Acapella Group Sings For Unity

(Link) Berkeley's Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble keeps the emphasis on politics and performance. "I would like to get to the point where I don't have to remind you who the soloist is. Who's your daddy?"

WNBA Star Comes Out After Seven Years

(Link) The Houston Comets Sheryl Swoopes -- an five-time All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion -- exits the closet and lands an endorsement from Olivia Cruises.

Lesbian Pastor Prepares For Trial

(Link) The Rev. Beth Stroud case continues, with the defendent's right to remain a clergy member on the line once again.

Mary Cheney Hired on by America Online

(Link)VP Chaney's lesbian daughter moves from the side of a milk carton to a PR gig at AOL! OMG! WTF? A/S/L?

Lovers Spat Becomes Commuters Entertainment

(Link) Can't wait for your invite to the Jerry Springer Show? Try airing your dirty laundry -- literally -- from the overpass like these two did!

French Lesbians Invade Belgian Fertility Clinics

(Link) If this isn't the premise for a thoroughly bad and highly satisfying movie, we're not sure what is.

Klan to Rally in Support of Anti-Gay Amendment

(Link) The Ku Klux Klowns will join the "family values" crowd in supporting Texas' pending constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage. Not to mention the added faux pas of wearing white after Labor Day.

St Louis to Congress: "Drop 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

(Link) St Louis joins the list of cities that are urging Congress to sign the Military Enhancement Readiness Act which would allow openly gay and lesbian troops to serve. The bill's already got 98 co-sponsors in the House of Reps.

Love in Action Files Suit Against Tennessee

(Link) A spokesperson for the ex-gay group claims "It's repugnant for a faith based institution, a Christian ministry to come under the regulation of the state." Treating the mentally ill and controlling access to their meds without being licensed to do so is also repugnant -- and illegal.

Radical Queers Disrupt Log Cabin Republican Speech

(Link) After all these years of smooching GOP hiney, the group's president finally gets his own slice of the pie -- right in the kisser before a live audience.

Fundie Groups Fine With Miers' Girls, Inc Work

(Link) The American Family Association still considers Girls, Inc a "pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group", but doesn't fault Harriet Miers for having worked with the Dallas chapter. Just another case of "love the sinner, hate the social progress they attempt to spread."

Vermont Pushing for Federal CU Benefits

(Link) While civil unions do offer same-sex couples many of the same state-level benefits as straights, Social Security and military pensions are not among them. Vermont's legislators are pushing Congress for equality on the federal-level.

Lesbian Candidate Hit By Dirty Tricks

(Link) A leaflet campaign to smear her goes unpunished, but the local paper seems to be on her side: “It’s up to the voters to determine whether they’re swayed by a candidate’s qualifications — or more by rank prejudice.”

Dear Amy: Am I Gay or Homosexual?

(Link) Straight advice columnist fails to take on task of dyke vs lesbian vs woman-identifified-womyn vs femme vs butch vs queer vs etc. Our favorite label? "Never Needs Ironing"

Custody Battles: How to Define Families?

(Link) With a variety of laws and precendents on the books, determining "what makes a family" isn't always as easy as replicating the "nuclear family ideal."

Activists Target Anti-Gay Oregon House Speaker

(Link) A civil unions bill is passed by the state's senate, but GOP House Speaker Karen Minnis refuses to let the Oregon House of Reps vote on it. Is that even legal?

Florida County OKs Partner Benefits

(Link) Florida's Palm Beach county has approved taxpayer-backed health benefits for the domestic partners of county employees. The catch: the employees are paying nearly five times more out of pocket for the bennies than hetero employees.

Lesbian Judge Quizzed About Her Lifestyle

(Link) No, not Harriet Mier, but a woman who became a household name in South Africa after she and her partner won the right to be legal parents of their adopted children.

Gay Games Sponsors Still Being Targeted

(Link) Not satisfied with taking down Kraft foods, another fundamentalist Christian group sets its sights on Walgreens for supporting the Gay Games. If it wasn't for stories like this, would the Games get this much publicity?

Gay-Straight Alliances Paving Way for Teens

(Link) Lesbian and gay teens can now feasibly be named Homecoming royalty for the high school prom. However, they must agree to share custody of the tiara for the evening -- and not fight over who looks best in it.

Lesbian to Lead New Zealand Methodist Church

(Link) "Our Government has recognised the need for gay rights, so why can't the church?" asked one. "To be told a gay priest cannot lead the church is a backward step."

Belgian L&G Group Adopts Lesbian Penguin

(Link) Now that one penguin has "come out" others may see her as a role model. In other news South Park's lesbian seagull still parentless.

Fundies Say "American Girl" Dolls Promote Lesbianism

(Link) Former fave of Christian fundie homeschoolers, a doll-making company is now underfire for donating to "a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group." In other news, Barbie still okay for advocating eating disorders and shameless consumerism.

Melissa Etheridge Smoked Medicinal Marijuana

(Link) "Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go a natural route."

Couple Fighting to Adopt Foster Daughter

(Link) Sure they're great parents, and they've raised her since she was two days old. And so what if they're lesbians. The problem, according to one county judge is that... they're not married.

Conservative Talk Radio Now Plays the L Card

(Link) An LA talk station is now dropping hints that Bush's Supreme Court nominee Helen Meirs -- never-married at 50+ -- must be a lesbian. Did we not see this coming? Of course we did!

Adoption Agency Settles with ACLU

(Link) A five-year case against a California agency's ban on adoptions by LGBT couples is finally over. “One’s sexual orientation or gender identity has nothing to do with providing a loving home and a caring family."

Couple's Sperm Donor to Pay Child Support

(Link) After a 15-year relationship dissolves, one of two mommies goes looking for daddy's dollars -- and Sweden's Supreme Court finds 'em for her.

Interview: Lesbians on Ecstasy

(Link) A Montreal grrl band takes lesbian folk/pop classics and adds electrofunk beats you can dance to. Tracy Chapman's fast car just got a lot faster.

NGLTF Takes Ad Campaign to Texas

(Link) With same-sex marriage facing a state constitutional ban, the task force television spots aim to humanize the issue for voters -- who only think they don't know anybody "like that."

New Study: Gays (heart) Gadgets

(Link) Yet another study of what makes us open our wallets shows we spend more money on high-tech trinkets than the straight folks. And our collective buying power? Yowsa! Where's my plasma tv?

Pride Flag Set Ablaze in Bloomington

(Link) "But honestly, aside from that...we're really fag-friendly! Come to Beautiful Bloomington, and bring those tourist dollars with you!"

Poll: Nine in 10 LGBT Students Harassed

(Link) After "appearance", being queer or perceived as queer is the second most common reason kids harass each other. Would reporting that bullying to a teacher make a difference? Fifty-seven percent of the teens polled said they wouldn't even bother trying.

Player Slams Penn State Coach Over Dyke Bashing

(Link) After 30 years of anti-gay recruiting and "no lesbians" policy, a student player finally demands some action be taken against the basketball coach. "Coach Portland’s behavior not only violates the school’s anti-discrimination policy, it is illegal."

Ellen's Ex is Praying for Silence From Mom

(Link) (second story down) Mother of Has-bian Anne "Celestia" Heche is currently preaching at the ex-gay events and claims she "cured" her daughter's homosexuality through prayer.

First Lesbian Rights Group Formed in Kyrgyzstan

(Link) “After this incident, when we were thrown out of the cafe like dogs, we decided to gather together and create an organisation which could protect our rights, the rights of lesbians.”

Midwestern City Hopes to Draw in LGBT Tourism

(Link) Is P-Town Passe? Dinah Shore Tourney getting tired? Bloomington, Indiana hopes to be the new hotness for your queer tourism needs. Say it, baby... Hoosier mama?

Oregon Civil Unions Backers Drop Plans for 2006

(Link) After losing a fight to gain civil unions, rights groups decide to focus on building a base of support before trying again -- this time by putting gay-friendly candidates in office.

Rights Groups Demand Apology From Mich. Senator

(Link) According to State Sen. Michael J. Goschka, denying insurance to "utter perverts" is what his Christian principles require of him and he's proud to issue his "Godly Christian message" even to constituents who oppose his anti-family spews.

Talk About It: October 11th is Coming Out Day

(Link) I've got so much to do! All the baking, decorating the tree, making costumes for the cats...

Indiana Considers Ban on Lesbian Pregnancies

(Link) Hoosier state toys with reserving medically-assisted parenthood for straight, married churchgoing women who've had their "lifestyle" examined by a team of reviewers. Irresponsible, abusive drug addicts still allowed to breed at will.

Could Banning Books Cause Interest in Lesbianism?

(Link) In the 1930s, the UK's government censors feared that blotting out certain books might actually cause women to crave knowledge of Sapphic secrets. Mmm, the forbidden fruit of lewd publications!

Fox Newsie Urges A Blind Grrl Date for Condi Rice

(Link) We all know the rumors about the Secretary of State, but this Fox news correspondent is running with it by trying to hook up Condoleeza Rice with a former Miss Minnesota -- during a live tv interview.

Connecticut Couples Lining Up For Civil Unions

(Link) Of course, they can't refer to themselves as "married". So are they civilly unionized, civilized or just happily CU'd? And they're not spouses. They're "Party 1 and Party 2". It's all so... romantic!

Online Dating Sites Getting Uppity

(Link) In order to appear "exclusive and special", some dating sites are banning queer members or those whose appearance doesn't match "certain standards of beauty". But others are coming up with equally snooty versions just for the LGBT crowd. Lucky us.

Massachusetts Marriage Laws Under Scrutiny

(Link) In the only US state that allows same-sex marriage, a law on the books since 1913 bars Massachusetts from issuing licenses to out-of-state couples. If overturned, it could allow couples to marry there, then return home to raise heck until they get equal rights in their home states.

Sex Ed Needs to Include Gay, Lesbian Teens

(Link) By categorizing homosexuality as a "values" issue, gay and lesbian kids are being slammed again by the faith-based abstinence-only school of sex ed -- which is still pushing reparative therapy.

Etheridge to Donate Album Sales to Charities

(Link) During cancer treatment, Etheridge's doctor told her that "no one wants to see a bald rock star." Her performance at the Grammys proved that wrong, eh?

Outing Debate Rages Anew Online

(Link) With blogs gaining credibility as news sources, more tools are available to out the closeted. Still, some say outing is wrong and even hypocritical gay-bashing politicians have the right to stay incognito.

Report: Kids Coming Out Earlier These Days

(Link) Time Magazine reports the younguns are waking up -- and kicking down the closet door -- in their early teens. If you had it to do all over again, would you have come out at 16?

University of Wyoming Considers Partner Bennies

(Link) In a bid to attract high-quality teachers, the school's pondering offering benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees. Considering what happened to Matthew Shepard, would you want to move to Laramie?

Newest Supreme Court Nominee Favors Gay Civil Rights

(Link) Bush's latest pick for the big court is Harriet Miers, who's on the record as being pro on gay civil rights but against making same-sex nookie legal in the privacy of ones home (aka "Lawrence vs Texas"). She's also 60-ish, never married and has no kids. Could she be family? Let the speculation begin!

Homophobia in the Family

(Link) Dear Ari tackles the issue of a teen who's embarassed to have his mother attend his National Honor Society shindig because "she's a manly mom." Bonus: the "Guess What My Parents Said to Rick Santorum" banner!

Canadian Lesbian wins $19K in Clinic Decision

(Link) Invitro clinic customer, turned away over lack of male "role model"/partner, wins human rights case. How many babies will $19,000 buy? In Canadian dollars, I mean.

Rights Groups Slam Blue Cross for Discrimation

(Link) Blue Cross drops coverage for unmarried partners in "small group" plans and claims it's not discrimination, just "legal decisions." Others, like Montana's Human Rights Group -- whose employees were insured by Blue Cross, calls it "queer baiting."