SOUNDBITES — "2010 has the potential to see even more achievements for this community than at any other time." —The always optimistic HRC president Joe Somonese, speaking at the group's annual New York fundraiser gala, and ignoring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's commitment to shut down any "controversial" bills that come her way

Saying that Rep. Barney Frank got cranky with an interviewer is no longer a Queerty-approved way of introducing a post. So how about saying Frank is pissed off at whiny gays who aren't doing enough to lobby their lawmakers and how they need to lay off the president? Oh, that's cliche too? Continued »

Anecdotal evidence might suggest, for every enjoyable holiday spent aboard a gay cruise ship, there's a death in the family. GLAAD board member Spencer Yu passed away last year during an Atlantis cruise, and a 37-year-old passenger aboard Atlantis's enormous Liberty of the Seas ship was found dead in his cabin last month during a Cayman Islands jaunt. But just because you're going to gay travel route doesn't mean you'll have a not-so-fantastic time. Well, not always. We asked for your stories, and you delivered. Continued »

Orlando's Florida Family Policy Council, headed by John Stemberger, was very upset when a judge gave custody of a 1-year-old boy to her foster parents, because her foster parents are lesbian couple Vanessa Alenier and Melanie Leon. In notifying its mailing list about the "arrogant judicial activism," the FFPC included a photo of the pair (at left) to show supporters just how repulsed they should be by the adoption case. Except that's not the adoptive couple; that's them, on the right. They're a couple of good looking women who are the perfect, media-friendly faces for the same-sex adoption debate. It was a stupid ruse, and FFPC, an affiliate of Focus On The Family, has been fairly called out for their sensationalism. But this website is not above sensationalism. Which is why, in reporting on this story, we're going to substitute the original photo of John Stemberger — who also served as chair of Florida's Yes2Marriage.org — for a scarier version. Continued »

When you're the chief executive of an enormous oil concern, your duties include finding new energy sources, navigating international environmental regulations, and delivering hefty profits for shareholders. But Lord Browne, who headed BP (née British Petroleum) until 2007, had another line item on his job description: hide his sexuality. And it all came crumbling down when he lost a court case he hoped would prevent newspaper from publishing his same-sex private life, and expose him as a perjurer. Continued »

Maybe because the St. Louis Rams weren't playing in the Super Bowl. Or maybe because the big game's gay themes were focused on CBS's refusal of a gay dating ad. But news that Carrie Prejean, the one-time Miss USA runner-up, is engaged to Rams quarterback Kyle Boller merited barely a blip on our radar. But congratulations to the pair, who cemented their promise on Saturday in San Diego. Continued »

Does it matter that it took a spot featuring rabid heterosexual mascot Megan Fox to include a pair of gays during a Super Bowl ad? And does it matter that, in an ad obviously aimed at heterosexual men, the representation of the gays comes down to bitchy queens slapping each other? Continued »

Because children are ripe for political maneuvering, a pair of Iowa lawmakers figured queer youth didn't need any legal protections from bullying in schools, which explains why they're trying to remove sexual orientation and gender identity from the state's Safe Schools Law — all as a means to chip away at the Iowa Supreme Court's gay marriage approval. Continued »

Costa Rica: No military, excellent coffee, unbeatable beaches. And thanks to this weekend's election of Laura Chinchilla as the nation's first female president, there will be no support for gay rights at the executive level. Continued »

SOUNDBITES — "The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out. Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?" —Actress Anne Hathaway to GQ on why her family left the Catholic Church, adding that the Episcopal Church isn't perfect either: ""So I'm… nothing (no denomination). Fuck it, I'm forming. I'm a work in progress."

Testifying before the United States Senate, Defense Sec. Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen promised lawmakers they would investigate and review the best strategy to implement a Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal. To do this, the men said, they would put together a team of qualified individuals who would look into the feasibility of such a move. Too bad the Military Times just beat them to it. Continued »

The three-year-old Al Jazeera English is lauded by The Gays for regularly covering, with responsible reportage, gay rights issues and stories, unlike, say, CNN. Which is why the Canadians Gs are so thrilled the network is finally arriving there. But it isn't sparing criticism of the parent network, based in Qatar, which still treats homos as worthy of a stoning. Continued »

Like a crowded restaurant or during a press conference, Twitter is not the place to make anti-gay jokes. The NFL's Larry Johnson learned that, and now so too did a representative of Vodafone, the giant British mobile phone provider. Continued »

OH SNAP — Justin Timberlake joins Anne Hathaway in accepting a Harvard Pudding Award, where it's customary for the honoree to try on a little cross-dressing. "Funny enough," said the singer, "every time I've hosted SNL I've ended up in drag at least once. I love stuff like this." Continued »

Three cheers for delivering a response not written on her hand. Continued »

The Focus on the Family ad above is the spot that's airing during today's Super Bowl on CBS. It is, frankly, quite tame, and not the raging pro-abortion ad The Commentariat supposed it would be (and generated untold millions in free media impressions for the anti-gay group). But was it the original ad that FOTF had put together? Perhaps not, based on what we've seen. Continued »

Lourdes Garcia, a former waitress at the Penthouse Executive Club in New York, is suing her old employer. Because, she claims, her female boss made inappropriate come-ons. Continued »

Judge Vaughn Walker, the federal justice overseeing the Prop 8 trial, is a big gay. It's been speculated about, but it took for the trial's end nearing for the open secret to be confirmed. It's an interesting aside to Perry v. Schwarzenegger, because Walker was once despised by the gays, and his decision to let this trial play out has been seen by some as a path to "redemption." But what will many expect to happen, should Walker rule against Prop 8's proponents, is that the defendant Protect Marriage/Yes On 8 will make an issue of his sexuality, and charge that he was biased in his ruling. This is ridiculous. Continued »

The issue of gays in the military is ripe for comedy. The Onion has been all over it. So too has The Daily Show. The Weekly World News as well. And so have the gay tanks. So why was Saturday Night Live's Fox News parody such a let down? Continued »

Who says porn studios merely steal (the innocence of young men) from the gay community without giving anything back? CorbinFisher.com, most recently seen defending Adam Lambert's on-air smooch to the FCC, donated $60,000 to Equality Florida after CEO Jason Gibson had "a chance encounter" at a cocktail party. Which sounds like the plotline to one of their films. But what's sixty large when you've got $100,000 to offer Levi Johnston to "masturbate to completion."