Cuba Considers Huge Gay Rights Bill

Link Now that Fidel's out and his brother's in, Brother Raul's daughter plans to help Dad move the nation into political modernity with an enormous nationwide gay rights bill. If it passes, the bill would make Cuba one of the world's most progressive nations in terms of LGBT rights.

Same-Sex Wedding Expo Comes to Seattle

Link Just because you can only become "domestic partners" doesn't mean you can't have a fabulous faux wedding. The event's not just displays of finery you can splurge on for your ceremony, though. They're putting a big effort into collecting the info necessary to get the laws changed so you can have a real, legal wedding someday.

Obama Holds LGBT Fundraiser

Link Although the media were barred from covering the event, those who attended say the candidate's got a darn good grip on LGBT issues. And they give him points for honesty about what will and won't fly just yet when it comes times to get laws passed.

Medicare, Social Security and You

As the safety net of Medicare and Social Security is being undermined by boondoggles like wars for oil, it's becoming evermore obvious that we're on our own come retirement time. If we're able to retire, that is. As lesbians, the issues are a bit different for us (primarily for how we're taxed and that we can't marry) and that makes the crisis much more serious.

Dan Savage: Advice on Coming Out

Link Seattle's Dan Savage of "Savage Love" fame (and the man who made "Santorum" a noun) has some great advice for a high school girl who's finding that coming out has rough spots. If you are, or ever were, a queer teen in a small town, this will ring pretty darn true.

Ellen Gets A Grabbin' on Live TV

Link "Hardball" commentator Chris Matthews takes Ellen for a spin around the talk show dance floor, and grabs a handful of breastage in the process! Ellen later dissects the event with very funny slow-mo analysis of the clip.

Help for Prospective LGBT Parents

Link If you've thought about adopting but aren't ready to endure a homophobic beauracracy, "Homes for Little Wanderers" just might be the group you're looking for. The organization specializes in helping gay and lesbian people who want to adopt children.

Lesbian Marriage Legal in Lesbos?

Link A lesbian organization in Greece has discovered a loophole in a 26-year-old law that would allow same-sex marriage in that country. Wow, talk about getting major street cred for your permanent hookup!

ABC TV Looking for Queer Kids

Link The network's "Good Morning America" show is planning a segment on gay and lesbian kids. Not teens, mind you, who are bravely coming out in the hellish societal hotbed of high school. They're looking to showcase young kids under the age of 10, who already know they're gay.

Ford Drops "Pro-Homosexual" Marketing

Link And the American Family Association couldn't be happier! They're calling off their boycott of Ford vehicles now that the automaker's stopped spending on queer media and gay rights organizations.

Sometimes It's Hard to Be a Woman

Link Wanna date lots of chicks and make great money doing it? A major in the Chinese Army shows you how! Includes a "not fooling anyone" pic that apparently fooled a lot of people.

Washington Gov Expands Partner Law

Link Washington Governor. Christine Gregoire has signed a bill expanding that state's domestic partner laws. It adds 160 or more new protections (and responsibilities) for couples, and boosting the state's gay-friendly reputation.

Martina Ditches the US for Czech Homeland

Link Thirty years after tennis great Martina Navratilova defected from communist Czechoslovakia, she's given up on the United States and gone home. Her reason? Disillusion with US politics, namely the election of GW Bush.

Sally Kern Gets a Call From Ellen Degeneres

Link Ellen normally stays out of politics, but Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern's recent anti-gay hate rant just pushed her buttons. So Ellen pushed a few buttons of her own and gave Sally a call. On live TV.

Spanish Aristocrat Weds Lover on Deathbed

Link Known as the "Red Duchess," Doña Luisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo spent her well-connected life as a champion of the poor. Her final act, marrying her lesbian lover of 20+ years has thrown her family into chaos. Especially the part about naming her wife as sole inheritor in her will.

Gay Political Clout Growing in South Florida

Link Although the Sunshine State has plenty of gay hotspots -- Key West and Fort Lickerdale, uh Lauderdale, among them -- it's not known as a terribly gay-friendly state. But political-minded queers are working to change that by making their presence known via the voting booth.

Immigrants Importing New Gay-Hate to US

Link A group of Eastern European immigrants are arriving in the United States with more than hopes of engaging in the American Dream. They're evangelicals with a virulent hatred of gays that threatens to take gay-bashing to a deadlier level.

LGBT Catholics to Have Audience With The Pope

Link Dignity USA and New Hope Ministries have an appointment with His Holiness during the Pope's upcoming visit to Washington, DC. Among the topics for discussion: "We're Here, We're Queer, Get Over It. And Enough About Burning in Hell Already."

Hidden Lives: LGBTers and Self-Harm

Link Since Prozac and the like came along, we speak freely about depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. But there are still issues that remain in the closet, Among them, "cutters" -- people who self-mutilate in order to "cope."

New Safer Sex & Sex Kit Available in UK

Link We can't decide which part of it we like best: the free lube or the deliciously cheesy cover art. In any case, we'd love to read a review if anybody can get a copy of "Beating Around the Bush." Those sexy dental dams... Okay, we're snickering now.

Lesbian Vampire Couple Gets Life for Murder

Link What happens when you mix a couple of a sadistic vampire wanna-bes with a teenage girl who just needs a place to crash? Well, if this is any indication, a nasty murder and well-deserved life sentence.

Massachusetts Groups Reach Out to LGBT Elderly

Link Older gays and lesbians are more likely to live alone -- without children to care for them -- and just like anyone, they may need to call an assisted living facility home. A few groups in Massachusetts are teaming up to make sure they can be out when they move in.

Oklahoma Lawmaker Makes Anti-Gay Video

Link Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern is using last election's divisive non-issue to prop up her cred with voters. According to the Republican lawmaker, the gay community "bigger threat, even more so than terrorists or Islam [to the United States]. It's the death knell of this country!" Ooh, I feel more powerful already! Don't you?

The Great Texas Dildo Ban is Over!

Link Now the clerks at Forbidden Fruit can stop referring to them as "safe sex demonstration devices," and Texan women can mess with themselves to their hearts content. Mississippi and Alabama gals will still have to make sneaky purchases over the internet, though.

Lesbian Heiress Sues Wife in Nasty Divorce

Link They wore matching rings, shared a bank account and were together for 14 years. Then they broke up -- just before one of them became heir to the massive Avery Dennison office products company. Ah, money. It changes everything, doesn't it?

Obama Reaches Out to LGBT Community

Link Although he's taken a few hits for some slightly anti-gay campaign decisions, Barack Obama wants us to know he's pro-equality. He even sat down and wrote us a nice letter about it.

Lesbian Magazine Cover Censored in UK

Link "Diva," one of Europe's leading lesbian magazines, has been booted off the stands of a major retailer there until it cleans up the sexy photo cover. The pic in question is a same-sex version of one of Annie Liebowitz's highest-rated photos, legendary the Rolling Stone cover featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Why the prejudice?

Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras Biggest Ever

Link With a record-breaking 150 floats and a crowd of 350,000, this year's Gay Mardi Gras marked the 30th anniversary of Sydney, Australia's gay gala. There's also a great set of Flickr photos of this year's parade.

California High Court to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Arguments

Link Pro-gay marriage suits brought up in 2004 will finally get their day in court on Tuesday, when California's high court will determine once and for all, what constitutes "marriage" and if a same-sex couple has the right to be wed.