• Alright, we're willing to forgive The View's Sherri Shepard for not knowing whether the world's flat, but we're absolutely astonished that Shepard forgot that Patti LaBelle's black.

• Out's Shana Krochmal talks to Panic At The Disco. Note the lack of exclamation!

• Writer's strike be damned! AfterElton launches Gay People's Choice Awards:

We're asking you to vote on your favorites in the traditional movie, television, music, and internet categories, but at the end we've included several gay-specific categories that you won't find covered anywhere else this awards season!

Vote like your life depends on it!

• Gay panic strikes Kentucky after b-ballers partake in celebratory kiss.

CONTINUED »

New Zealand's legal system may be getting a gay-friendly overhaul. The nation's Law Commission hopes to repeal the sixties-era gay panic defense, which allows people to say gay sexual advances drove them to violence. Law Commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer told his peers:

Section 169 of the Crimes Act 1961 must be repealed. ‘Gay Panic Defense' is a shorthand label, not an accurate legal description. But as the Law Commission recognizes, it is one of the main ways that the provocation defence operates. Of the four known cases in the past five years when the provocation defense has been pleaded successfully, two have involved the ‘Gay Panic Defense'.

We do not believe that such circumstances offer a valid excuse for murder… More broadly, and more importantly, intentional killing in anger in any circumstances is inexcusable.

Ain't that the truth.

Palmer's now asking the Minister of Justice to end this unjust legal loop hole. Cross your pretty little fingers!

The gay panic defense has gone global. A college student named Arun Dor surrendered to police after murdering his friend and his friend's grandmother. Why would a normal young man kill his pal? Because the pal's a pole smoker, of course:

Debabrata Pani, an upcoming model and his grand mother Bina were found murdered at their house… The accused Arun Dora, a college student, surrendered at the Khandagiri police station and confessed to his crime. Dora alleged that Debabrata was repeatedly forcing him to a homosexual relationship. “I was depressed and shattered, so I decided to kill him when he called me to his home last night, the culprit said.
Since the old lady saw Arun committing the crime, he murdered her too… Arun said that ever since Debabrata forced him to have sex, he became very depressed…The accused claimed that he had waited for such an opportunity and planned to kill Debabrata. He had carried a sharp weapon and attacked his model-friend with it.

What's that old saying, "Who needs enemies…"