Joe.My.God. LGBT News

The Human Rights Campaign reacts: “Today the U.S. Senate confirmed five highly qualified nominees to important posts who happen to be gay,” Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said in a statement to BuzzFeed. “It is a testament to President Obama and the U.S. Senate that the sexual orientation of these nominees was irrelevant to their qualifications for their posts, …

As same-sex marriages became legal in Minnesota, the anti-gay Minnesota For Marriage (home to Kalley Yanta) yesterday vowed that it will punish gay-friendly legislators during the 2014 election. With the financial help of NOM, of course. Minnesota for Marriage said it will support lawmakers who took politically difficult votes against the gay marriage bill and encourage opposition to those who …

A man in the Czech Republic has won his religious battle to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his official government ID photo. Prankster Lukas Novy, from Brno in the Czech Republic, claims that his Pastafarian faith means he has to wear the sieve at all times. Officials ruled that turning down Novy’s request would be a breach …

Chattanooga Free Press editor Drew Johnson has been fired after the above-titled editorial went viral across Teabagistan. According to the paper, the headline was “inappropriate” and “outside of normal editing procedures.” “It was not the original headline approved for publication, and Johnson violated the normal editing process when he changed the headline,” the Free Press wrote Thursday. “The newspaper’s decision …

The Runaway & Homeless Youth Act, which was first passed in 2008, is due to be reauthorized. Rep. Gwen Moore has filed a new version of the bill that would explicitly include LGBT youth in its coverage. Moore’s bill is co-sponsored by openly gay Rep. Mark Pocan. I ran away from home when I was an adolescent,” said Rep. Moore. …

“I am especially concerned with the provision of the law that allows for the possible detention of foreign citizens for up to 14 days before they would be expelled from the country. Many members of international athletic delegations, their families, spectators, and support staff proudly identify as members of the LGBT community. I believe it is essential for them to …

McClusky was the senior vice president of FRC Action, the DC lobbying arm of the Family Research Council. His tweets tend to be very jokey, so the above might not mean anything. Or maybe it might. UPDATE: A reader reminds me that 25 year-old Josh Duggar (of those Duggars) just became executive director of FRC Action, so this change may …

Yesterday’s gay pride event in Jerusalem drew 5000 participants and was relatively unmarred by protesters, unlike in recent years. The anti-gay donkeys made another appearance, but this time they were humans. As usual, the march drew counter-protests. The “pride” march is particularly controversial in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest city, with many Jews and Muslims arguing that it encourages immoral acts and …

Philadelphia’s CBS affiliate reports: The Montgomery County commissioners held their first public meeting Thursday since the county started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The decision was made by the register of wills, D. Bruce Hanes, not the commissioners, but two of them – Chairman Josh Shapiro (D) and Vice Chairman Leslie Richards (D) applauded the move. Also applauding the …

As Pennsylvania’s marriage battle continues to heat up, Commonwealth Equality is inviting its Facebook followers to submit photos like the one above posted by openly gay state Rep. Brian Sims and state Rep. Steve McCarter of Montgomery County, which continues to defy the governor and issue marriage licenses.