GOP Fires Up Homophobia as Election Nears

Link With Iraq shrieking toward hell in a flaming handbasket, Republicans are searching for something -- anything! -- to pull in those conservative voters. "Let's do that scary 'gays are destroying the sanctity of marriage!' thing!" "Brilliant, Mr Rove!"

Matthew Shepard's Mom Urging Youth to Vote

Link It's votin' time, grrls. If the right to be yourself is important, be sure to vote in the upcoming election for the LGBT-friendly candidate(s) of your choice. (Belated Tom Foley joke: "How do you separate the men from the boys?" "With a mid-term election!")

LGBT Traders Making Gains on Wall Street

Link Financial firms are among those companies with more inclusive policies, but acceptance within those companies hasn't always been the norm. Some say it's still an uphill struggle.

Lesbian Accusation Hits Hillary Clinton. Again.

Link Hillary Clinton's opponent for the US Senate gig has already insulted her looks and now he's questioning which way she swings. Hope he didn't get his idea from a little teasing in the Lnews: Humor section…

UK Couple Spends Thousands, Keeps Fighting

Link Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson were legally married in Canada, but are still fighting to have their marriage recognized in York. The campaign's already cost them close to $50K, but they're not backing down - regardless of cost.

New Jersey Opens the Door for Marriage

Link New Jersey's high court ruled today that the state must offer same-sex couples something legally akin to marriage -- whether it's called "marriage" or "civil union." Something about an "unequal dispensation of rights and benefits" seems to have been a major factor. Glad somebody noticed!

It's Twins for Melissa and Tammy!

Link Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels are now the proud parents of twins -a boy and a girl. According to the couple's press release, "The joy will help carry us through our upcoming sleepless nights."

Will Going Blue Be Good for Gays?

Link Polls too numerous to mention show voters are leaning toward going Democratic in the next election, which could mean that party taking control of Congress. Will the change in party really bring good things for the LGBT contingent?

Safety Officer Fired After Biography Reveals Secret

Link Charlene Genther's biography, "Badge 3483: A True Story," chronicles her years as one of the first female Detroit cops. It also mentions that she's a lesbian, so that was enough for one Catholic school to fire her -- despite a stellar record, popular support and her attendance at her daughter's PTA meetings.

New Jersey May be Next for Same-Sex Marriage

Link Mark your calendar for next Thursday, Jersey grrls. It might be the date you can get officially hitched to the love of your life!

Republican + Gay = Oxymoron?

Link You know how pitiful those poor Log Cabin Republicans always seem? Well, having found out there are no prizes for endurance in the face of discrimination, more and more gay Republicans are finally giving up on the GOP.

Best Evar "Try Before You Buy" Deal on Books

Link October is LGBT History (and Herstory) Month and it's almost half over. So brush up on your lesbian reading by reviewing some of the best lesbian novels around. Just get yourself a free Google account (via email or your personalized Google home page) and you can read entire novels for free -- before you decide if you want to buy them or not.

Gay Mardi Gras City's LGBT Zone Vanishing

Link Sydney, Australia is home of the Gay Mardi Gras -- and Oxford street is the main drag (pardon the pun) of the city's LGBT community. But with diversity on the rise and homophobia on the decline, the community's moving away. Does acceptance and prosperity mean the disappearance of the "gay community"?

Alamo City is Queer Family-Friendly

Link Doing the same-sex parenting thing and looking for peers? Head for the Hill Country! According to the Associated Press, you'll find plenty of them in San Antonio, Texas

Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout the Birds and the Bees

Link A new exhibit by the Oslo Natural History Museum throws a new argument at those who claim homosexuality is "un-natural" -- with loads of evidence that it is, in fact, very natural after all. Meanwhile, millions of parents have to revamp that "birds and the bees" talk with their kids...

Kiera and Lindsay Sittin' in a Tree...

Link Okay, well they're not hooking up IRL, but they will be playing two women "who are sexually attracted to each other" in an upcoming film about poet Dylan Thomas. And OMG, Kiera's mom wrote the screenplay!

Survey: 7 of 10 Americans Know Someone Gay

Link And the other three? They're just fooling themselves.

October 11th: National Coming Out Day

Link Sure, it was just Wednesday to most folks, but have you ever participated by actually coming out on October 11th? What was your experience in leaping from the closet like?

Study: Same-Sex Marriage Good for Economy

Link A new study from Los Angeles breaks down the barriers with a simple statement about money. There's cash to be made by allowing same-gender couples to make vows. Just ask the wedding industry!

Seattle: The World's Most Lesbian-Friendly City

Link It's true. You can't walk from one Starbucks to the next without your gaydar pinging like mad in Seattle. And if you prefer tattooed, pierced artsy chicks, Seattle also hundreds of to choose from in that genre, too!

Scotswomen Campaign for Better Health Care

Link Queer Womens Action in Scotland is seeking testimonials from lesbians who've dealt with that country's health care system. Main issue: "We're tired of going to see a GP for a routine appointment and having to explain to the doctor that 'yes I'm sexually active' doesn't necessarily mean 'having sex with men'.

Lesbians Marry at Presbyterian Seminary

Link It's hard to say what's funnier: the constant use of quotation marks around words like "marry" and "union" or that the phrase "practicing homosexual" was used at all. As we all know, practice makes perfect, right?

Does Foley Scandal Taint All Gay Officials Now?

Link Republican Representative Mark Foley has been outed as a hypocritcal perv, thanks to widely spread transcripts of a sleazy internet chat he had with a few teenage pages. So how does that affect the voting public's view of openly gay politicians in general?

Irish Couple Sues High Court for Rights

Link They've even compared their strife to racially discriminatory legislation that existed (still exists?) in the United States. Among the lessons in this article: Other countries have more laws on the books respecting liberty than the US does.

Rhode Islanders Can Marry in Massachusetts

Link A Boston judge has ruled that a lesbian couple from Rhode Island can travel across the border to get married in Massachusetts. Why? Because Rhode Island doesn't have any laws that specificially ban same-sex marriage. Huzzah!

Gay History Month Starts School Fracas

Link All it takes is one angry mom to turn a whole school upside down. She's refusing to let her daughter attend school for the whole month, for fear they might teach her something about homosexuals.

Partner Benefits for Federal Workers Proposed

Link The legislation would provide health and other benefits for the same-sex partners of federal employees. The kicker: it was proposed by a Republican/Democratic team that includes Joe Lieberman.

Minnesota Voters Nix Gay Marriage, Amendment

Link By a two to one margin, voters in Minnesota said "no" to same-sex marriage. On the bright side, they also disagreed with putting together an amendment to ban it.