Fundraiser For Richmond Jane Doe This Thursday

If you live in San Francisco or are going to be visiting the Bay area on Thursday, February 5, you should swing by Lookout—DJ Gray & Lady are presenting Les Ladiez Nite, a fundraiser for the 28-year-old lesbian known as Richmond Jane Doe who was gang-raped on December 13 in Richmond, Calif.

Week in Review: 1/25 - 1/31

Our Top Stories This Week:

• The Wealth Myth: A Working-Class Gay Comes Out

• Aussie Swimmer Still Trying to Set The Record "Straight"

• Prop. 8 Donors Get No Shielding

• Washington State Could Expand Same-Sex Rights

• Another Sex Scandal for Ted Haggard

• Patti LuPone's Ultimate Diva Moment

Two WA Gay Legislators Introduce Full-Scale Domestic Partnership Rights Bill

Two gay legislators in Washington state – Ed Murray and Jamie Pederson – have introduced legislation that would grant full scale legal and economic rights to that state’s LGBT domestic partnerships, making WA’s LGBT domestic partnerships one hundred percent equivalent with marriage.  Just without the word “marriage”.

In the ongoing battle for LGBT equality generally, and the fight for marriage/relationship equality specifically, states are taking different tacks towards the future.  As marriage – and domestic partnership – are states’ rights issues, this seems not only appropriate, but mirrors the history of civil rights legislative reforms around marriage and relationships.

Thorpedo Insists his Missile Flies Straight

Australian swimming sensation Ian Thorpe has found himself on the defensive following renewed speculation that it's guys who float his boat.

Thorpe was caught frolicking in the Brazilian surf with long-time housemate and fellow swimmer Daniel Mendes. The two had flown to join Mendes' family for the holidays after first celebrating them with Thorpe's back home in Oz.

Where's the Color?

Michelle Obama was a vision in white at last week’s inaugural balls in a dazzling off-the-shoulder gown by Taiwan-born Jason Wu, but one group is seeing red.

Amnau Eele, cofounder of the Black Artists Association has told Women’s Wear Daily that she intends to send the First Lady a letter of protest due to the exclusion of black designers and an appeal to have the first wardrobe become more “colorful”.

Another Sex Scandal for Haggard

On Friday, The New Life Church in Colorado Springs, former pulpit of scandal-ridden Ted Haggard, announced the details of a previously undisclosed sexual relationship Haggard had with a young male church volunteer. The announcement comes just as Haggard, 52, has begun attempting to rebuild his reputation. He is in the middle of a media tour promoting an HBO documentary airing next Thursday about his time out of the spotlight. He recently taped an interview with Oprah Winfrey and has an upcoming slot on CNN's Larry King Live.

Week in Review: 1/18 - 1/24

Our Top Stories This Week:

• Obama Outlines His Gay Agenda On WhiteHouse.gov

• Intern Sex Scandal: Portland Divided Over Gay Mayor's Future

• Gene Robinson Gives the Invocation at Inaugural Opening Ceremony

• KABC-TV Refuses to Air TV Ad About Gay Families

• "Milk" Receives Eight Oscar Nominations

KABC-TV Refuses to Air TV Ad About Gay Families

In a pique of moral conservatism, a Los Angeles television station, KABC-TV, refused to air an ad from the pro-marriage equality group, GetToKnowMeFirst.org, claiming the material in the ad was not suitable for “family viewing.”

Photo Blog: Out for Equality Ball in Washington, D.C.

Almost lost admidst the hoopla and excitement of the inauguration of Barack Obama was the LGBT community's own celebration: the Out for Equality Ball. You wouldn't know it from the coverage in the so-called "mainstream" press, but more than 1,000 people jammed into the Mayflower Hotel in downtown DC to honor the inauguration of Barack Obama and celebrate our community. 

Obama Outlines His Gay Agenda On WhiteHouse.gov

Talk about efficiency. WhiteHouse.gov, the official site of the President, was updated to reflect the changeover from President George Bush to President Barack Obama within a few minutes of Obama's inauguration. Has anyone visited the site yet, and if so, have you seen The Agenda page? I have to say that I am impressed—it lays out Obama's civil rights agenda, which includes broad support for the LGBT community.