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Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district has become infamous for its policy of "neutrality" regarding LGBT issues — teachers aren't supposed to tell students that gay people deserve equal rights, or that they're not. After two lawsuits and a cluster of student suicides, the district has finally changed the policy. But the new one isn't that much better. More »
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Ellen was recently announced as a spokesperson for JC Penney, which is great as far as any celebrity endorsing a giant chain can be great. Maybe a little more so because Ellen— and you might want to sit down for this— is an out and proud lesbian. Honestly, that's awesome. Remember when all of those companies pulled their sponsorship of her sitcom in the 90's because she decided to make her character gay? And look at her now, representing a clothing store generally frequented by what conservatives call "Real America." Not everybody is happy about it. Anti-gay organization One Million Moms (no dads, eh? Seems suspect) has asked JC Penney to drop Ellen as a sponsor and have, since the company refused, called for a boycott. Luckily, no one seems to be taking them seriously, especially not Ellen who has a few choice words for her haters. More »
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An Oklahoma romance writers' group recently launched a contest for the best book in each of nine sub-categories (example: "Paranormal –- Single titles –- dark or light, futuristic, magic, alternative Earth, urban fantasy, vampire, werewolf, etc."). The problem: no gay romance allowed. More »
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When Megan Edwards and her fiancée Katie McTurk heard about a Valentine's Day contest for couples who met at their alma mater, St. Joseph's University, they were eager to enter. But then they found out the contest was for straight couples only. More »
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A Maryland teenager who asked Maryland state legislators to vote 'no' on marriage equality for her 14th birthday has become the first human to successfully break the homophobe sound barrier. In her speech before Maryland's Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, she managed to claim being gay is a choice, that parents of gay kids are harming them, that gays indoctrinate children, and that redefinition of marriage will lead to all other words being redefined. Wow. A full Homophobic Bingo card. What does she win? More »
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You've always had an inkling that this might be true, and now here comes Science to validate your gut: children with low IQs tend to grow up to be prejudiced adults who often adopt socially conservative ideologies. The "liberal elite" is not in your imagination, friends. Fox News viewers really are that dumb! More »
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I punched someone on the street last night, which is a first for me. More »
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A depressing new study shows that homophobic bullying is common on elementary school campuses. And teachers aren't doing enough to stop it. More »
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In a statement that reads like parody but is apparently real, a Christian group claims that UK supermarket chain Tesco's recent sales slump is actually the Almighty's answer to their prayers. More »
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Future ex Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann hasn't given up her hopeless crusade to win the White House, despite lagging dramatically behind her fellow contenders in the polls. In fact, she's doubling down in the run up to the Iowa caucuses next week by making sure conservative Hawkeye voters know that she hates gays more than all of the other candidates. More »
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In 2007, a California couple's Hawaiian vacation got off to a bad start when they tried to book a room at the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Honolulu and were turned away because they're lesbians. When Diane Cervelli said she and Taeko Bufford would only need one bed, owner Phyllis Young explained that she didn't want same-sex couples, or unmarried heterosexual partners, staying in her home due to her religious views. Hawaii is one of 21 states with public accommodation laws that prohibit sexual orientation discrimination, so the couple has filed a lawsuit. It seems Young isn't contesting that her establishment doesn't welcome homosexuals, since she told investigators from the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission that homosexuality is "detestable" and "defiles our land." More »
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Last weekend 22-year-old William Adam Lane spotted a lesbian couple embracing in a bar in Bellingham, Washington. He decided the only appropriate course of action was to drunkenly shout homophobic comments at them and smash the rear window of their car. Unfortunately for him, the women were total badasses. One tackled Lane and pinned him to the ground while they waited for help from a bouncer nearby. Lane was arrested for malicious harassment, which is a hate crime, and even though the women were unharmed, they may be able to press assault charges because he threatened them. More »
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With all the time they spend bashing homosexuals, you might think that conservative lawmakers hate gays in real life. However, as Newt Gingrich has shown us, it's entirely possible to treat your lesbian sister like everyone else in the family while advocating for policies that discriminate against her — if you're a raging hypocrite, that is. Alabama politician Bill Johnson has now joined the long list of Republican politicians who publicly attack gays even though privately they have no problem them (or perhaps are homosexual themselves). It's been revealed that Johnson, who was a top state official for six years before running for governor, has secretly donated sperm to many women in New Zealand, including some who are in same-sex relationships. More »
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Like many, we were hoping that Newt Gingrich might drop out of the presidential race and retreat back to the '90s, from whence he came. Now, unless it's revealed that Gingrich has a long history of infidelity and impropriety that will sour the American people against him, it seems that he and Mitt Romney will be battling it out for the Republican nomination. That means it's time to learn a little more about the man, starting with the fact that like several other politicians prone to promoting anti-gay policies, one of his family members is homosexual. More »
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You know how President Obama's secret Muslim agenda has forced Christians to hide their beliefs, lest they be targeted for extra screening at airports and taunted for wearing their cross necklaces while grocery shopping? Well, Rick Perry is through with cowering in fear! In this new campaign, Perry declares, "I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a Christian," and goes on to condemn gay soldiers for stealing Christmas, or something. We lost our Obama-issued tactical manual from when we were drafted into a war on religious freedom. More »
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Yesterday in a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a memo from President Obama, the White House laid out its new commitment to promoting gay and transgender rights worldwide. While many are applauding the announcement, some say Obama has ulterior political motives. The move has already affected the 2012 campaign by giving Rick Perry an opportunity to catch up to the other Republican candidates, who seem to be in some kind of contest to see who can make the most horrifically homophobic comment. More »
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For decades the lyrics of "Deck the Halls" have been the primary way children learned that "gay" means "happy" in addition to "homosexual." However, recently a teacher in Traverse City, Michigan got so fed up with kids her class snickering that she changed the lyric to "don we now our bright apparel." More »
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If that 8-year-old boy had confronted Rick Santorum about his homophobic views rather than Michele Bachmann, he wouldn't have been dismissed with a panicked look. Santorum would have explained that he opposes same-sex marriage because he wants to make sure boys like him are getting the message in school that their parents are amoral, un-American weirdos. More »
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Last month police in Amherst, New York concluded their investigation into the bullying Jamey Rodemeyer suffered before he committed suicide at age 14 in September. They decided not to file charges, but now Williamsville North High School has suspended an unknown number of students. Superintendent Scott Martzloff says the students are facing "a minimum of suspensions," which means they were suspended for a week or less with the possibility of handing out longer suspensions after a hearing. The students are too young to expel, but apparently they've learned a variety of gay slurs in their brief time on the planet. One female student was already suspended in September after she put herself in the running for Most Horrible Teen on the Planet by telling friends of Jamey's sister that she was glad her brother killed himself. More »
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Remember when romance-defiling reality hag Patti Stanger went on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live and suggested all gay men were undesirably effeminate sluts fraught with disease and incapable of monogamy? How about when she then lied to Joy Behar about her remarks while simultaneously making even worse ones? If so, you'll be happy to know that Stanger finally issued a proper, well thought-out apology to Andy Cohen on tonight's Millionaire Matchmaker reunion show. More »
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Being incarcerated gives you a lot of time to think, and in the December issue of Vibe T.I. shares some wise words on the controversy over homophobic remarks Tracy Morgan made at a comedy club (and later apologized for multiple times). According to an excerpt from the article, T.I. says: More »
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Most people agree that bullying is a big problem for schoolkids, and anti-bullying efforts have gotten a lot of lip service in the past year or so. But now, some kids are doing more than talk — one boy is working with the ACLU, while others recorded their bullies to catch them in the act. More »
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According to a new study, gay couples moving into an area can actually raise housing prices. But only if folks in that area are in favor of gay rights — if not, they have the opposite effect. More »
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Christian groups advocating so-called reparative therapy used to claim all gay people could be "cured." But with the release of new research, one such group has been forced to admit that that's not always the case. More »
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A newlywed couple went to a Florida DMV to get their names changed on their drivers' licenses. But because theirs was an out-of-state marriage from Connecticut, they say they were "humiliated" and ultimately denied. More »
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In one British County, teachers apparently have some pretty unhelpful responses to bullying. Some allegedly told victims to try "acting less gay." More »
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A Baptist university in Georgia is requiring all its employees to sign a "personal lifestyle statement" rejecting homosexuality. And if they don't, they'll be fired. More »
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A group of British lifeguards have drawn fire for making a YouTube video in which they impersonate Hitler, make homophobic jokes, and pretend to have sex with a life jacket. More »
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At Alice High School in South Texas a student was recently suspended from school and kicked off the varsity cheerleading team after surveillance cameras caught a band room kiss with another student. If the punishment for kissing in school was to get kicked off the team, the school probably wouldn't have a cheerleading squad. However, the cheerleader claims this is only happening because he's a guy and the person he kissed is another dude. More »
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"Now Tracy, tell us, unless you're tired of talking about it, what happened," began Letterman last night to his guest, Tracy Morgan. Ugh. You see, we'd almost forgotten — or at least stopped thinking about — his profoundly unfunny rant about gay people this past June, but Dave gave Morgan, a long-time guest of the Late Show, the chance to clarify his side of the story. We wish he hadn't. More »
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You might think that the people who bullied 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer with comments like "JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND UGLY. HE MUST DIE!" are completely ashamed of themselves now that Jamey committed suicide. However, you'd be wrong. The problem is you're thinking like someone who isn't utterly disgusting. More »
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Retailers like to avoid appearing political, but thanks to a development in e-commerce, they're being forced to choose between angering customers who support gay rights, and those who oppose it for religious reasons. And while previously companies have withdrawn donations and apologized when accused of supporting anti-LGBT causes, now some are being lured back into donating, in only to avoid accusations of religious discrimination. More »
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In a major breakthrough in gaydar technology, an Android app sold for €1.99 in France promises to pin down your son's sexual orientation with 20 horrible, stereotypical questions. You can read the questions here en français, but for those of us who took eight years of French and can barely read the language [cough], here's a rough Google translation: More »
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In case you missed it, on Friday video surfaced of a man heckling Bristol Palin while she was riding a mechanical bull at a West Hollywood bar. 47-year-old Stephen Hanks asked her, "Is that how you rode Levi?" then yelled, "Your mother's a whore." She responded by asking him if he hates her mom, "because you're homosexual." You can't root for either side in this fight, but now Bristol's rep says that making an assumption about the Hanks' sexual orientation (which happened to be correct) doesn't mean she's homophobic. More »
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Well, we can't imagine what could go wrong here: Ted Haggard and Gary Busey are about to take part in ultra-classy reality show Celebrity Wife Swap. Because clearly what Haggard's marriage needs is more public scrutiny. More »
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William Flowers had three children with his then-wife, Lacey. Now they're divorced, and he's remarried to a man. Is this behind the strange new turn in their custody battle? More »
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Three years ago, Oklahoma legislator Sally Kern announced that homosexuality is "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam." More recently, she gave a speech suggesting that the number of incarcerated African-Americans was "because they don't want to study as hard in school." She also said women wanted to work less hard than men. More »
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Last year, officials at The Master's School found out that rising senior Rachel Aviles was a lesbian. So they told her to drop out. More »
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Three men were executed in Iran on Sunday for "acts against the Sharia law and bad deeds" — specifically, for having sex with other men. The men were also charged with robbery and kidnapping, but they're believed to be the first men in many years to be executed for homosexuality without also being accused of rape. Says Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, More »
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A new poll shows that, perhaps unsurprisingly, young people are far more likely to support gay marriage than older ones. More surprising, however, is that several religious groups are now in support of marriage equality. More »
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