Religion in schools has long been a dicey issue. Throw a little gay into the mix and, well, you’ve got a full-on mess!

Federal Judge J. Owen Forrester recently ruled that Georgia Tech University must stop funding gay “safe space” pamphlets that allegedly deride homophobic religions.

The pamphlets offered an overview of various religions and noted, quite controversially, that many religions take Biblical tales “out of context” to justify discriminatory behaviors. They went on to outline specific religions, describing some, such as the Church of Latter-Day Saints, as “anti-gay.”
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We won’t pretend to be sober sisters - or young - but we absolutely love that LA-based WeHo Alt exists. Here’s how they describe themselves: “WeHo Alt provides a safe space for our younger LGBTQ that are in their teens, twenties, and thirties… Weho Alt is a viable alternative to bars, free of drugs and alcohol, to help minimize substance abuse, HIV, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.” [WeHo Alt]

Allen Roskoff’s never been afraid to voice his opinion. Well, that’s not true. Like so many of the lavender set, the New York-based activist once hid in the closet, but found himself out and proud after falling in with the Gay Activist Alliance, one of our city’s first post-Stonewall rights groups.

Now, as president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Roskoff remains one of the most progressive activists this side of the Mississippi. In fact, it was an email from Roskoff that spurred the following exchange with our editor.

Some of you may recall last week’s story about anti-gay “cult” Aesthetic Realism. Well, Roskoff wrote to us and regaled us with tales of how he and his GAA pals used to rail against the group.

Always intrigued by tales of homo history, we asked Roskoff if he’d like to elaborate for you, our darling readers. And he graciously agreed.

Read what Roskoff has to say about the Realism movement, gay activism’s golden years, why homos need to stop cheering for Hillary Clinton, how Barney Frank and HRC do more harm than good, and why Barack Obama must be the Democratic nominee - after the jump, naturally.

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Fellow blogger and friend Andres Duque of Blabbeando shines over at BBC, where he chats about Latino marginalization in gay communities: “For example, on the issues of immigration and political asylum the traditional gay organisations say that’s not something they should be dealing with or focusing on.” Wait, gay non-profits prefer white folk? Our world just crumbled… [BBC]

Supporters of New York’s Empire State Agenda bussed it up to Albany today to lobby their legislators to support gay rights measures. [We are] traveling to Albany to help win marriage equality, transgender non-discrimination protections, safe schools for LGBT youth, and more funding for our community’s health and human services needs.

Last year we brought more than 1100 people from all across New York to make sure that our elected officials in Albany saw first hand the power and determination of our community and our allies. This year will be even bigger! We couldn’t be there, unfortunately, but we’re more than happy to pass along the gay non-profit’s video, Lobbying Your Legislator. More informative instructions can … Continued…

New York-based homos Dan Pinello, 58, and Lee Nissensohn, 50 have some balls. Knowing full well that the Empire State doesn’t grant gay marriage licenses, the boys, 58 and 50, respectively, marched down to the Oyster Bay clerk’s office yesterday and asked for the ceremonial form.
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Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell gets fresh life today. And it’s not a military matter.

A number of shareholders will tomorrow ask the board of Well Fargo to remove sexual orientation from their anti-discrimination policy. Rather than railing entirely against “gay sins,” as Ken Hutcherson did against Microsoft, these clever little homophobes insist that “gay” can’t be seen, like race, and therefore fagalas should just keep a lid on it:

Whereas, it is similarly inappropriate and legally problematic for employees to discuss personal sexual matters while on the job.

Whereas, unlike the issues of race, age, gender and certain physical disabilities, it would be impossible to discern a person’s sexual orientation from their appearance.

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The God-loving gay activists of Soulforce are holding a non-violence workshop at NYC’s Gay and Lesbian Center tomorrow. 6:30 sharp. If you’re late, they’ll beat you. [SF]

Kent State’s most remembered for the May 4th massacre, but Harry Jackson’s hoping to change that.

The Ohio businessman just gave the Akron-area university $2 million to boost students’ gay rights activism.

The money, the school’s largest LGBT donation ever, will be spent on scholarships, booking pro-gay speakers and offering other lavender-hued programs. Said Jackson: “I’m hoping they’ll get politically active and educated. By educating them, they’ll become part of the process.”

Maine-based gay rights advocates are fighting a right-wing referendum aimed at banning gay marriage, adoption and removing gays from the state’s discrimination policy. [Boston Globe]

Human Rights Campaign claims to be fighting for trans rights, but their actions in Houston recently have some people wondering whether they mean it. A number of protesters had gathered will gather at the non-profit’s April 12 dinner in the Texan town and got a bit a surprise when HRC called the cops on them and will have to face the cops. The organization’s leaders also apparently instructed hotel staff to call in the troops if trans protesters started passing out opposition flyers. [Bilerico]

With Matt Foreman stepping down as National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Executive Director, it’s time to reflect on his ascension as one of the nation’s most successful gay activists. [Edge NY]

John Caldera a human interest journalist’s wet dream: he’s gay, has HIV, served our nation’s military and will run with the Olympic torch in San Francisco. So, what’s he think of all the Tibet protest: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No one in my family has been a torchbearer. Those who want to protest should be able to protest. I just hope I don’t get hit with tomatoes.” Caldera’s obviously a comedian, as well! [eBar]

If you’re anything like us, you’re wondering why GLAAD’s remained silent on Joe Scarborough’s trans trashing last week.

For those of you who missed it, Scarborough and his cohorts on MSNBC’s Morning Joe took multiple shots at pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie, whom they referred to as disgusting and the such. Obviously we all knew Beatie’s Oprah appearance would cause a controversy, but had hoped that mainstream news agencies would have a little more class. Not Scarborough, though.
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The ever-opinionated politico David Mixner talks jock this morning, chatting with OutSports about the strained relationship between the athletic and lavender worlds. Mixner, who’s a Bill Clinton chum, hypothesizes that endorsements prevent sports stars from embracing social progression: Outsports: Few athletes seem to embrace social activism. Why do you think that is?

David Mixner: The clear answer to this question is just one simple word - endorsements. I also believe that many professional athletes skipped college,where they might have gained access to more social activism, and went directly into a sports league. We’re going to indulge our cynicism and put more weight on the endorsement side.