LGBT Band to Perform in Obama Inauguration

Here's one participating group we can be happy about: one of the groups that'll perform in Obama's Inaugural Parade is the 177-piece strong Lesbian and Gay Band Association. This is the first time in history that a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender group will march in a Presidential Inaugural Parade. Make a joyous noise, indeed!

Rachel Maddow Rakes Up New Dirt on Pastor Warren

We never cared for this very beary pop culture Christian much before. Now Rachel brings many, many more reasons not to like the guy. Anybody want to take bets on how long it'll be before he's caught either fiddling the kiddies or having a "wide stance" in a public restroom?

Lesbian Gang-Raped in California

Hate crimes aren't slacking off one bit. If anything, they're getting worse. This story is proof. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the attackers.

Don't Tell Me Who to Love

Excellent video from Soulforce that needs to be passed around. FYI, the interracial couple mentioned in it are Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, the couple whose love and courage were instrumental in overturning laws against interracial marriage in the United States. The case was appropriately named "Loving vs Virginia."

Lesbian Youth At High Risk for Pregnancy

Yep, you read that right. Whether they're trying to screw the gay away or just have a cover story that prevents other kids (or their parents) from finding out they're baby dykes, some lesbian teens are engaging in risky hetero sex -- and dealing with the consequences.

Debate: The Bible and Gay Marriage

Two bible scholars throw down for a Newsweek debate on the Bible and same-sex marriage. The contenders: Bill Wylie-Kellerman, a United Methodist serving as pastor at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Detroit. His sparring partner: Dr. Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy and research at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. A long article, but definitely worth the read.

Lindsay Lohan is Out

Former funny hottie turned druggie-drunk Lindsay Lohan has mellowed out and cleaned up her act, thanks to the influence of her girlfriend. Yes, her lesbian-relationship girlfriend. Lindsay confirmed the rumors recently that she and DJ-musician Samantha Ronson have been an item for more than a year now. Gossipy love letters from a Rehabbing Lindsay are here, and Samantha's Myspace page features Lindsay as her Number One Friend. And Lindsay's got Samantha as her Number One friend. Ain't that sweet?

Jamaica Down On Lesbian Club

And not in a good way. Seems the very idea of gay women socializing together strikes fear in the hearts of righteous Jamaicans, who claim "That cah gwan eno. We lick out pan things like that." Whatever that means. Most likely, it means an Olivia cruise won't be docking in that island paradise anytime soon.

Lesbian Couple Fights to Keep Baby

Despite rescuing an infant from a drug-addled mom (and unknown father), a lesbian couple is heading to court for the right to retain custody of the child after a judge ruled the tiny tot should be placed in a "traditional" home. Meaning, a hetero married man and woman couple. Not two lesbians, regardless of their parenting skills

Says the couples' lawyer: "What I can say about these two women is that they are far and above, based on my experience in dealing with them . . . they are far and above conceivably the best foster parents we have in this county."

Gay Marriage Backers to Protest Wedding

After claiming he had a neutral "live and let live" attitude about it, Florida Governor Charlie Crist switched his opinion and backed the state's new amendment banning same-sex marriage. As a result, his upcoming wedding's gonna get a few extra guests. Some of whom suspect that Charlie's a closet case himself.

Obama May Pick Lesbian for Labor Secretary

Mary Beth Maxwell is a community organizer and labor leader with an adopted African American son. She's also a gay woman and may be named the next Secretary of Labor. She's getting good buzz from certain members of the AFL-CIO and other labor groups. However, this news has the religio-fundamentalist crowd in a state of horrified panic.

US Blows Off UN Gay Rights Declaration

Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and one of the highlights of the program will be a UN declaration calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality. The United States, however, has not jumped on board, and is one of the few Western countries still ignoring LGBT rights.

And yes, the article does include an informative worldwide sh*tlist of the countries who aren't signing up to stop prison terms for being gay or lesbian.

The Vatican's also catching flak for being aggressively against the declaration. No surprise there, but here's an article about it. Bonus: the last two paragraphs reveal a lot of hypocrisy at the UN.

Wanda Sykes is Out

We're not the only folks pissed off about California's marriage rights being taken away. Comedian Wanda Sykes is also pissed, and she's finally decided to step out of the closet and be loud and proud of being gay. And black. And a woman.

Where to Go for the Holidays

Cheesed your way out of another uncomfortable holiday season with the family? Good for you! Now treat yourself to a actually pleasant vacation by checking out some recommendations from Out Traveller, ala their 2008 Readers Choice Awards for the best in LGBT travel.

The obvious choices are there, but you might be surprised at some of the locations gay and lesbian travellers chose as great places to get away.

Prop 8: The Musical

A darling little star-studded musical that really should have landed in our inbox about a month ago. Still, it's worth sharing.

Wednesday's To Do List: Be Gay

Remember that old joke about "if being gay is an illness, let's all call in to work queer tomorrow?" Well, a new protest for December 10th is exactly that -- and designed to let the US workforce know what it's like to go "a Day Without a Gay." It's also International Human Rights day.

With the headlines dominated by how crappy the economy is, and how many people are getting laid off, I'll leave it to you to decide if protesting this way is a good idea right now.