A lawsuit by Christian activist group Repent America has successfully overturned the portion of Pennsylvania’s hate crimes law that covers sexual orientation and physical disability. Yesterday a state court voted 5-1 to overturn a 2002 expansion of the law, ruling that the amendment was created unconstitutionally because it was inserted into another bill covering agricultural vandalism. An as yet unapproved …

The government has proposed new rules which will make it even harder for HIV+ persons to enter the country, according to Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Immigration Equality. On World AIDS Day last year, President Bush announced his intention to create a streamlined process for foreign travelers with HIV to enter the United States more easily. Currently the United States …

“Golightly. Holly Golightly. I live downstairs. We met this morning, remember?” In Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly lived in an apartment in this house at 169 East 71st Street on the Upper East Side. My favorite line: “I’ve got to do something about the way I look. I mean, a girl just can’t go to Sing Sing with …

– One week into Broadway’s strike, the stagehands union and the League of American Theaters and Producers return to the negotiating table today for the first time since Nov. 8th. Mediating are representatives from Disney, whose The Little Mermaid and The Lion King are both closed. Both sides are under tremendous pressure to reach an agreement before next week’s lucrative …

I had a brief but fascinating exchange on a feminist blog yesterday. Not to get too into the nuts and bolts of the conversation, the takeaway message I received from a couple of the commenters was that men cannot ever be considered feminists, regardless of their positions on women’s rights. The author of the blog was generally kind to me …

Today Nancy Pelosi is expected to announce a postponement of the final vote on the defense funding authorization bill to which the Matthew Shepard (hate crimes) Act is attached. The Out Of Iraq Caucus, a group of as many as 20 gay-supportive Democrats, are threatening to vote against the act because it would provide funding for President Bush to continue …

Ack. I cannot get this very annoying Optimum Online reggaeton jingle out of my head. For days now. Earworm! Earworm! Make it stop. 8-7-7 3-9-3 4-4-4-eeeeeeeeight.

Cafe Luka, 1st Avenue, Wednesday 8pm Old Lady 1: So what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Old Lady 2: I’m having dinner with my daughter and her new husband. Old Lady 1: New? She got married again? How many is this? Old Lady 2: Four. And this is the third “Michael”. I guess she likes Michaels. Old Lady 1: Sounds …

Some nice advances for LGBT rights around the country: -Toledo, Ohio has become the first major city in the state to offer domestic partners benefits. Both same-sex and unmarried couples who prove they cohabitate, have intermingled finances, and are over 18 years-old can register to receive the same city benefits as married couples. Registering with the city also serves as …

The Claudia Contrada story hit Free Republic tonight and quite amusingly, most of the Freepers are ripping on her MOTHER. Oh, the delicious irony. -“Claudia’s parents are idiots. They “reluctantly” let their daughter preform in this pro-homosexual play and then turn around and express amazement that this happens! I mean really, how stupid does one have to be. It would …

Crediting the pressure of its global protest efforts, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission announced yesterday that the impending execution of a gay Iranian man has been halted. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has learned that the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, has nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh, …

A week from today, rather than sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with my bio family in Orlando, I’ll be in a fancy-schmancy midtown restaurant with some of my gay family. Lots of gay folks juggle holiday celebrations between their gay and bio families. Tell us how you do it. Same day, different times? Alternating years? Everybody in the same room?.

Dan Savage reports that Seattle’s Lifelong AIDS Alliance has canned Glamazonia, the long-time hostess of its popular Gay Bingo fundraiser, because (get this) of a new sexual harassment policy that does not allow the use of naughty language during its events. Drag queens. No trash talk. The mind reels. Glamazonia, aka Thom Hubert, says, “There was language [in the policy] …

UPDATE: For those who didn’t read the full Blade report, I should have made it more clear that the below rise in counted HIV infections is primarily due to the better reporting under stricter CDC guidelines. The news remains grim, but the upside will be better funding to address the actual case load. The Washington Blade reports that the CDC …

Citing overwhelming opposition, NY Governor Elliot Spitzer has withdrawn his controversial proposal to offer driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Spitzer: “I am not willing to fight to the bitter end on something that will not ultimately be implemented and we also have an enormous agenda on other issues of great importance to New York State that was being stymied by …

Former book publisher Judith Regan filed a $100M suit against Fox News parent company News Corp yesterday, claiming that senior executives encouraged her to lie about her affair with disgraced from NYC chief of police Bernard Kerik when he became a nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security. Regan’s suit alleges that News Corp was trying to protect the presidential aspirations …

Believing he is cursed for having stoned two dogs to death as a child, an Indian man is attempting to remove the curse by marrying a dog in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony. P. Selvakumar, a 33-year-old farm labourer from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, married the four-year-old stray bitch after it was bathed and processed to his village …

London’s former Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner, Brian Paddick, is the Liberal Democrats’ nominee for London mayor. Once the highest-ranked openly gay cop in the world, Paddick, 49, will face popular Labor incumbent Ken Livingstone and Tory candidate Boris Johnson. Earlier this year, Paddick left London’s police force after 30-year career. In 2005, he famously argued with London’s Police Commissioner regarding …

Right-wing fringe presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has released his first attack ad in Iowa, complete with a bomb explosion. Tancredo, as always, is playing to xenophobes. Job stealers! Jihadists! Close the borders! The Iowa Caucus takes place January 3rd.