Adoption.com has some tough decisions to make. The Arizona-based online baby-selling site attempted to discriminate against California queer couple, Michael and Rich Butler (pictured with their new baby, Emily), claiming they could do so under Arizona's gay-protection free laws. A judge ruled last month, however, that if Adoption.com plans on doing business in California, they must comply with California anti-discrimination laws, which include the homos. The company apparently couldn't take the legislative heat, because they have settled the case. Under the terms of the settlement, according to San Francisco Chronicle, Adoption.com and its parent company, parentprofiles.com, must either stop working in California or stop discriminating. They cannot, however, do both:

Under the terms of a settlement announced today, ParentProfiles.com, a sister company to Adoption.com, cannot post profiles of California residents "unless the service is made equally available to all California residents qualified to adopt in California."

We think it's a great agreement for us because it really ends the discriminatory practice of Adoption.com in the state of California. We hope that they continue doing business in the state, but if they can't comply with the nondiscriminatory policy and they stop doing business in the state, it's still a victory for Californians. We're not allowing them to profit on the back of Californians.

Jeffrey Landrigan will die for the 1989 murder of Chester Dyer. Landrigan - who had just escaped prison, where he was serving time for another, unrelated murder -picked Dyer up off the street and went back to Dyer's apartment. Once there, Landrigan strangled Dyer to death.

After being arrested (again), Landrigan stood trial for Dyer's murder. During this trial, however, Landrigan stopped his lawyer from presenting potentially life-saving evidence. With nothing but damning testimony, the Judge sentenced Landrigan to death.

CONTINUED »

Tomorrow's openly gay Republican Jim Kolbe's last day in office. What better time, then, for the openly gay Republican to own up to some of his less-than-progressive votes. In an interview with Arizona Daily Star, Kolbe sticks to his federalist guns by saying gay marriage should be decided by states: a stance he took when he voted for the controversial Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Looking back on that vote, however, Kolbe mourns the rights lost.

His regret on that vote centers on the act's failure to grant participants in gay marriages, in states where they are legal, the right to federal benefits such as Social Security and Medicare earned by one's partner — the same rights that spouses in traditional marriages have.
"What I would say now … I recognize that we have to have some protection at the federal level," Kolbe said.

When we first read this article we got pretty excited. One the surface, it seems as if The University of Arizona's working toward progress in allowing transgendered people to choose in which bog to do their business. Great, right?

Well, read a little further and one finds this contradictory statement:

If a student identifies as transgender, Residence Life places the student in a single room with its own bathroom, if one is available, "so as not to disrupt the life of the transgender student or of the community..."

Huh? We're confused. Is UA trying to integrate transgendered folk or alienate them?

• In Kansas, the rainbow flag flying at a local hotel in Meade is the site of vandals. Early Friday morning, a brick was tossed through one of the hotel's windows; it had the word "fag" written on it. A second brick found outside the hotel had "Get the fuck out of town" scrawled on it. [Hutchinson News]

• In Toronto, the 16th International AIDS Conference calls efforts to fight AIDS in Zambia a "success." The conference is also the gathering site between grandmothers in Canada and across Africa, who are coming together to cope with the pandemic. [NYT, NYT]

• In Manhattan, Boy George reports for community service duty. [1010 WINS]

• In Florida, police make an arrest in Ft. Lauderdale in a May sex assault case. A homeless man is accused of drugging, assaulting, and robbing another man he met at a gay bar. [Express Gay News]

• In Estonia, attacks on gay pride revelers in Tallinn, the country's capital, on Saturday surprised both police and participants. The violent attack was led by Estonian skinheads brandishing sticks and throwing stones; they left several people injured — the first time in the city's three year march history that protests turned violent. [Monsters and Critics]

• In Arizona, a superior court judge rebuffs an attempt by gay marriage advocates to block a proposed proposed state constitutional to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. [Advocate]

• In Israel, the skies are quiet — but for how long? [NYT]

• The police in St. Maarten have arrested two people in connection with the beatings of CBS producers Ryan Smith and Dick Jefferson. They were on the FRENCH side of the island! No wonder the police couldn't find them. [365 Gay]

• Openly gay actor George Takei (aka Mr. Sulu on Star Trek) will be joining the Soulforce Freedom Ride. [insert cheesy Star Trek play-on-words here]. [AP]

•Scott Brison, an openly gay Member of the Canadian Parliament (and former Conservative) will be announcing his candidacy to run for the head of the Liberal party this week, pulling the centrist party a bit more to the left (and into the pink). [FF Times]

• The Arizona bill that would have given married people preference in adoptions over "single" people failed by one vote on Monday. [AP]

• Former superstar Zimbabwe DJ Kevin Ncube has come out as gay. Known as the "Prince of the Airwaves" during his tenure at the ZBC, he is now living a happy homosexual life in England. [NewZimbabwe]

Officials in Arizona cities have began major campaigns to get a chunk of the 65 billion dollars gays and lesbians spend each year on travel. Of course, Arizona doesn’t have the most gay-friendly reputation, but there are those (you know, fag hags) who look like they might be willing to overcome that, at least in the cities.

With an 89-page visitors and relocation guide published by the Phoenix gay chamber of commerce flying off the shelves, Phoenix leaders are planning to discuss ways to strengthen the city's gay tourism plan. Officials in Tucson, Sedona, Bisbee and Jerome say they informally angle for those visitors. Tempe is in the midst of a sophisticated campaign to lure gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travelers. The campaign began three years ago with careful research, said Stephanie Nowack, president and chief executive of the Tempe Convention & Visitors Bureau. The city later joined industry groups, sent city employees to conferences, bought ads in gay publications and launched a Web portal for gay, lesbian and transgendered visitors.

With awesome weather (at least in the winter) spectacular scenery and world-class hotels, Arizona seems like a fine place to spend your vacation dollars. It would help if the residents said “no” to that nasty little anti-gay marriage amendment, but just the fact that Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson are putting forth this much effort is a pretty good sign. Tacky, Navajo trinket stores, here we come!

Arizona cities try and lure gay tourists [USA Today]

• Who would have thought that an iPod jacket actually could turn out to be somewhat fashionable? [Gizmodo]

• Liz Smith blackmailed Rock Hudson's blackmailer. This is why you never mess with a dirt-filled gossip queen. [NY Post]

• The Arizona tourist board is targeting people who have plenty of spending money: us queers. [USA Today]

• Colorado will have voters decide on domestic partnerships by the end of this year. It ain't marriage, but we'll take it if we can get it. [Denver Post]

• Michael Jackson is interviewing for a job and it isn't at a day care center. [Forbes]

• HBO keeps their queer programming coming. You don't get much gayer than Rosie O'Donnell on a gay cruise. [UPI]