Despite a massive national outcry among gay activists and the work of an unprecedented coalition of progressive organizations, congressional leaders will move ahead with the version of ENDA that does not include transgender protections. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she has committed to presenting a second transgender-inclusive bill “the minute” enough votes have been secured to pass it. (In …

“It’s all false; it was a trap. I was a victim of my own attempts to contribute to cleaning up the Church with my psychoanalyst work.” – Vatican official Tommaso Stenico, who was suspended after he was caught on hidden camera making advances to a young man. Stenico claims that he is not gay and only visited gay chat rooms …

As he’d promised he would, Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed California’s same-sex marriage bill on Friday. He vetoed a similar bill in 2005. Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, which sponsored the bill: “This will be part of his legacy. He single-handedly is standing in the way of lifting the cloud of discrimination for millions of Californians.” Schwarzenegger announced the veto …

As tedious as leather pageants can often be, last night the Farmboyz, Chris and I decided to drop in on the Mr. East Coast Rubber 2007 (NSFW) contest at the Eagle. I’m pals with Dave and Joey, the last two years’ winners, and while I find rubber fetishism a tad incomprehensible (I tried some on years ago and nearly had …

Horrible news of out San Francisco. San Francisco doctors have reported a cluster among gay men of unusual cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma, the cancer-like skin disease whose disfiguring purple lesions were a terrifying signature of a bygone era of the AIDS epidemic. All 15 patients under treatment for the condition are long-term survivors of HIV whose infections are firmly under …

“When we make a public declaration of our sexual orientation — when we say that we are proud members of this community, mountains move. Just that simple act helps create hope, opportunity and voice for the thousands of brothers and sisters who still think they must hide.” – Randi Weingarten, head of NYC’s powerful United Federation of Teachers, in a …

Continuing to shed lackluster properties, PlanetOut has sold their RSVP cruise business to main rival Atlantis Events for an undisclosed amount. The sale will not affect RSVP’s scheduled itinerary or passengers already booked. According to reports, Atlantis plans on maintaining the RSVP brand. In June this year, PlanetOut sold SpecPub, their adult magazine division. CEO Karen Magee says the latest …

-Tony winner Christine Ebersole has been added to the cast of Rockers On Broadway: Salutes Motown, a benefit for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, which takes place on October 22th at B.B. Kings in Times Square. Others appearing include: Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer, along with Darlene Love, Mickey Dolenz, Deborah Gibson, Will Chase, Daphne Rubin-Vega, …

JMG reader Dick Zinya sent along this gem, just in case you really haven’t had enough of the Larry Craig story.

Yesterday a Brooklyn jury convicted Anthony Fortunado in the death of Michael Sandy (left), who was lured to a local park last year after meeting Fortunado online. At the park, Fortunado, with three accomplices, attempted to rob Sandy, who was killed by a car as he attempted to escape. Fortunado was convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime and attempted …

By now you probably know that Al Gore has been awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for global warming work. Gore joins Americans such as Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King. Now we can only hope that the Draft Gore movement gains more steam and convinces him to enter the 2008 presidential race. I like Hillary Clinton, but not wholeheartedly. …

Here’s a portion of the email Mike Jones sent me regarding his motivation for making it known that Sen. Larry Craig was his escorting client and how he feels about the reaction so far. As far as trying to make money of these situations as I am being accused of, please consider this information: I did not attempt blackmail on …

At an international convention of condom manufacturers, industry leaders are discussing the problem of poor-fitting rubbers, which can result in unwanted pregnancies or disease transmission. The old one-size-fits-all standard of the past has been increasingly dismissed, with several larger sizes available for years, although little attention has been paid to men who need a smaller fit. In 2003, TheyFit Condoms …

“Though lots of people know I’m gay, the coming-out process really doesn’t end. It’s important to be who you are and to be happy with yourself. Many other courageous people came out before me. Being gay doesn’t define who I am or impact my job in any tangible way, but maybe I can be a role model for some gay …

Last night’s Reading For Filth show at Rapture was a lot of fun, the house was packed. Xavier led off with a reading from Dean Johnson’s blog, followed by Eric Leven (left), who read a hilarious original story about a Craigslist spawned Daddy vs. boy encounter that didn’t turn out quite as expected. It was Eric’s first public reading of …

As today is National Coming Out Day, let’s do a special Swag Thursday giveaway with Steve Goula’s Wearing History: T-Shirts From The Gay Rights Movement. T-shirt activism has long been one of the most visible means of letting the world know who we are and Goula’s book covers the history of T-shirt activism from Stonewall to ACT-UP to today. The …

What was your last musical purchase? Do you still buy CDs or are you strictly digital these days?.

Khadijah Farmer, the butch lesbian who was thrown out of Caliente Cab Company, a West Village restaurant, when she was mistaken for a man in the ladies restroom, is now suing the restaurant. Although Farmer is not transgender, the suit was filed on her behalf by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, who contend Farmer is the victim of …