Gay Norwegian Muslims just got a little more religious space in which to roam. And we do mean a little.

The Islamic Council of Norway this week came out and said that gay Muslims should not live in the closet. Rather than hiding in the dark, Council leader Senaid Kobilica declared that gays should feel free to speak with their Imams.

And Imams, in turn, should be receptive to dialogue: "Most of all they need somebody to speak with. Imams must therefore be open to listen to homosexual Muslims. We recommend that everybody respect homosexuals and lesbians."

CONTINUED »

If you haven't yet seen Parvez Sharma's much debated A Jihad For Love, you should.

Barack Obama's opponents would love nothing more than to "smear" him as a Muslim. Thus, as we've seen a number of times throughout this election, the candidate has repeatedly reiterated his Christian beliefs. Now, after months of campaigning, Obama's attempts to eschew Islam have become so numberous that some Muslim voters are wondering whether Obama's really got their backs.

The debate of course has Obama in a sticky situation, and one with which we gays are familiar:

Obama being accused of being a Muslim constitutes a conundrum for a self-described inclusive politician — not unlike a liberal politician being accused of being gay. Theoretically, those who embrace diversity and tolerance say there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, and yet when one is falsely accused of being gay, or being Muslim, it's usually by someone who is trying to feed into prejudices.

But if you push back too hard you can seem as though you think there's something wrong with being gay. Or being Muslim.

Obama better snuggle up to some Muslims!

First John Hagee came for the Catholics. And John McCain did nothing.

Then the pastor went after the gays. Again, Republican presidential hopeful McCain did nothing.

Then Hagee said that Adolf Hitler and his Nazi henchmen were performing God's will. And that's when John McCain did something.

CONTINUED »

Oklahoma lawmaker Sally Kern simply can't quit her anti-gay ways. After coming out last week against gay discrimination, Kern took pen to paper and published an op-ed in which she again rails against the so-called "gay agenda:"

Anyone who thinks there is no homosexual agenda need only look here in Oklahoma to the newly formed Equal Rights Project created to help elect candidates by bridging the gay/straight community. The Equal Rights Project states "We felt we were uniquely qualified to help those running in the South and the Bible Belt. Running in these communities is much different than in California and New York. Our idea was to train, educate and support all candidates who support equal rights for all."

Homosexuals are already citizens who have equal rights. They want "special rights" for the acceptance of their deviant lifestyle. I'm thankful that Oklahoma is different than California and New York. I pray it stays that way.

CONTINUED »

Gay Muslim "leader" Daayiee Abdullah took to YouTube this week to discuss his first gay romance. Born in Detroit to a Southern Baptist family, Abdullah converted to Islam during his studies in China. He adopted the title "Imam" around 2000 after joining a gay Muslim web group: the next generation of Mosque?

Abdullah himself is pretty monotonous, but we thoughtm "A gay Muslim talking about his sexuality? That's rare, we should share…"

Gay Somalians have been starving for attention. Luckily unknown numbers of closeted queers from the African nation can find some communal nourishment with a new website, Somali Gay Community.

The Project Manager of Somali Gay Community in the United Kingdom, Murad, said the site, which aims to woo Somalis the world over, is designed to bridge information drought surrounding gay affairs in a purely conservative and Muslim society like Somalia.

"The goal of the group is to create a space and a means for Somali gays and lesbians access to information, share experiences and develop support networks," Murad told afrol News.

He said the site will serve as a guide to “our brothers and sisters confronted with their same-sex affairs”. This will enable them to overcome their difficulties.

The groundbreaking site includes looks at homosexuality and Islam, stories of Somalian culture and, of course, a poetry section.

Looking for some more information on Muslim gay life in the United States? Well, thank your respective deities, because the NY Times spends some of its venerable time today taking a look at the lives of gay Muslims in the United States. While some thrive, most seem to struggle with a life pulled between two worlds. Despite discrimination, however, the more dedicated Muslims hope to change people's minds:

Imam Daayiee Abdullah, 53, a black convert to Islam, was expelled from a Saudi-financed seminary in Virginia after the school found out he is gay. His effort to organize a gay masjid, or mosque, in Washington failed largely out of fear, he said.

“You have these individuals who say that they would blow up a masjid if it was a gay masjid,” he said. Mr. Abdullah and other scholars argue that there is no uncontested record of the Prophet Muhammad addressing homosexuality and that examples of punishment would surely exist had he been hostile.

Mirroring the feminist school of Islam, gay advocates pursue a holistic interpretation that emphasizes accepting everyone as equally God’s creation.

The article goes on to examine the religious texts allegedly supporting homophobia and gay scholars' objections. It's sort of like taking a really quick class on the relationship between homosexuality and Islam. Only without the test.

"Meltdown". That's one word a friend used when describing the trans-centric squabbling over the ENDA. Politicians, lobbyists and journalists have been debating over whether or not transgendered people should be included under ENDA, which could forbid discrimination based on perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity. A test vote showed that the majority of politicians objected to the trans-inclusion. Under such pressure, openly gay Representative Barney Frank, who co-sponsored the inclusive ENDA draft, slipped into acquiescence. To keep the bill above water, Frank effectively split ENDA in two: one version protecting gays and another for trans folk. They're now floating alone in an ocean of inequality.

Our government - and much of our culture - deny transgenders their rights because, quite frankly, they can't understand the trans's existence. Our culture does not have mechanisms to deal with "gender deviants." Trannies are a threat to our nation's very foundations. The Alliance Defense Fund's Doug Napier said the law will "strike at the very heart of our American liberties." He must be using the word "liberties" liberally. Napier's not alone, of course. Millions of people - gay and straight - simply cannot muster the imagination to consider trans folk equal. What's more, we have no use for trans people. And, as contributor Dan Avery and editor Andrew Belonsky assert, the American stonewall against trans rights goes much further than 1974 - and even our borders. "Trans" populations exist all over the world and crop up in seemingly unlikely locales, like Iran.

CONTINUED »

Here's some actual artistic activism. Indian filmmaker Parvez Sharma's releasing his examination of gay Muslims, Jihad for Love. Rather than using the more bellicose of jihad's multiple meanings - all of which invoke "struggle" - Sharma's looking at the "internal struggle" happening within gay Muslims in India, South Africa, Pakistan and Egypt.

CONTINUED »

Our brave editor Andrew Belonsky has now returned from his Michelangelo Signorile-sponsored debate with Michael Lucas. So, what's he have to say?

I wish Michael weren't so full of it so I could have spoken more. Oh well. He refused to shake my hand at the end, which I thought was really very classy. He also told me he doesn't like my use of a horse's ass when discussing his insane, irrational and hateful opinions. Poor thing's so self-absorbed, he doesn't realize I do that for loads of people! But, as we all know, Michael's very particular about his pictures, so I'm proposing a new one: scum. Or smegma.

Belonsky ain't the only one with some words on the interview. A lovely reader sent us a list of the things he's learned from Michael Lucas.

Read it and weep, after the jump…

CONTINUED »

The Netherlands aren't so gay these days. The European nation, which has a long history of gay-friendly policy, has been rocked by a rise of homophobic attacks.

As Radio Netherlands reports:

In the first half of this year a special phone line received 17 reported cases, a higher figure than for the whole of 2006. It is possible that the number of reports has also increased as awareness of the phone line has grown, but Elly Lust of the Amsterdam police thinks there is more to it than this alone: "For a long time Amsterdam has been the 'gay capital of the world', but now that seems to be changing. And of course, it's something we don't want to happen."

The anti-gay trend led gay group COC to suggest startling segregation legislation. Their hair brained scheme, however, takes on racialist tones when you consider that the majority of anti-gay attackers are Moroccan. Why, then, after decades of living peacefully together, have some Moroccans and homos started butting heads?

CONTINUED »

Charles Merrill's latest act gives new meaning to "incendiary". In an effort to protest spiritually sanctioned homophobia, Merrill tuned his ire into fire.

The 72-year old artist activist, who used to be married to Johnson & Johnson heiress Evangeline, took it upon himself to ignite an antique Qur'an valued at $60,000. He also recently used markers and scissors to edit a copy of the Bible. No surprise Merrill's take on the protests are just as combustible as the actions themselves:

The purpose of editing and burning Abrahamic Holy Books is to eliminate homophobic hate. Both ancient books are terrorist manuals… Airplanes are flown into buildings because of words, [as are] hate crimes against gays.

Talk about an explosive statement! We understand religion can be used for evil, but Merrill seems to forget that it can also be used for good.

So, where did Merrill get the now destroyed book? The King of Jordan gave it to his late wife in the 1950s, when Evangeline traveled the world spreading the peaceful word of the United Nations.

If you're ever looking to take down two social groups at once, head on over to the Kavkaz Center. They've compiled this "exhaustive" list of the gay rights movement's Jewish leaders.

The editors explain:

Here is an exhaustive list proving, once and for all, that the radical homosexual movement in the United States is a Jewish movement. Jews created it and run it from top to bottom. They are pushing the perversion and degeneracy that is spreading disease, sin and sickness through America like a wildfire.

So, who are these hideous activists?

Well, there are really too many to count (you know those Jews - always multiplying!), but the list includes our old friend and ACT-UP founder, Larry Kramer, the late poet Allen Ginsberg, former Advocate publisher David Goldstein, ACT-UP co-founder and Queerty feature subject, Alan Klein, homo-politico Barney Frank and so many other homo-heebs, you're going to wish you had a silver bullet. That's how you kill a Jew, you know. That or some sort of Holocaust, which we're sure the Kavkaz Center would readily endorse.

Michael Lucas certainly has cause to celebrate. The pouty-lipped porn mogul can continue distributing his porn epic, Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita. You may recall International Media Films Inc. filed a lawsuit claiming Lucas' skin flick encroached on Federico Fellini's similarly named classic.

On Friday, a judge ruled in favor of Lucas, saying that [it] seems extremely unlikely that a hapless purchaser seeking to buy Fellini’s film will inadvertently stumble across ‘Michael Lucas’s La Dolce Vita.’ Reacting to the verdict, Lucas told Wall Street Journal's law blog,

From the beginning, this case has been more about anti-gay and anti-sex prejudice than about well-founded legal claims. I am thrilled about this ruling and I hope we can now get this whole unnecessary distraction behind us.

For those of you interested in the nitty-gritty, click here to read the entire court transcript. It's riveting.

35-year old Lucas has also been celebrating his new column in The New York Blade. This week, Russian born Lucas spilled some ink on his favorite subject, "anti-semitism" in the gay community. Lucas opens by wondering why so many gays support Muslim causes:

I’m disturbed that the world gay community is increasingly anti-Israel… How can gay people side with the Muslims who want to kill the Israelis?

Because every Muslim wants to kill Jews and fags. And, of course, ever single Jew in the world loves gay people.

CONTINUED »