• Poor Mary Cheney. Her book, Now It's My Turn, only sells for a measly $.07. Don't people know she's has a baby on the way

• Who tried to keep TR Knight in the closet?

• Michael Bay offers you a look at Transformers.

• Mickey Mouse clone fights for Hamas.

• Connecticut drops same-sex marriage debate.

• Maroon 5's Adam Levine on being gay: "I'm not into dick. I wish I were. It would be so much easier. Because, you know, men have a certain camaraderie with each other that's easygoing and kind of simple, when you think about it." Then why are all gay relationships so dramatic?

• Remember Dr. Katz? What a fucking great show! Remember Dave Chappelle? What a great fucking comedian. Remember when Dave Chappelle appeared on Dr. Katz and talked about super-heroes? Ah, memories...

• Eighty percent of Finnish citizens support allowing the surviving same-sex partner to keep the deceased partner's surviving child. (Phew!)

• Anderson Cooper likes seamen.

• Hey, did you hear Tom Ford's opening a new store? No? Everyone else in the entire fucking planet did. What the hell's the matter with you? What? You're deaf? Oh, shit...sorry. Read all about it (or at least get a round-up) here!

• Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are getting married. Typically we'd be jealous of McAdams, but who could hate on such a cute couple?

• Sappho-journo Kerry Eleveld's telling HX Media and The New York Blade to shove it up their loose asses: she's headed on over to The Advocate. It may only be across the street, but it's a big step for this little lady. Read her latest - and almost last - Blade column on lobbying your lawmakers, or face the consequences.

• Not-so-sappho-journo Charlene Cothran thinks Clay Cane is the most evil person in the whole wide world. That may explain why she spells his name Cain.

• Connecticut's anti-gayers sure can talk. And boy are they craaazy!

• Speaking of crazy (and offensive) people, here's a great archive of Don Imus' bigoted, homophobic, racist and otherwise distasteful rants.

Some homo-loving Connectiut lawmakers have proposed a bill that will allow gay people to marry. Appropriately, the bill will be introduced on February 14th.

The Boston Globe reports:

Two Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday that they will introduce a bill to allow gay marriage within the next two weeks.

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell has vowed to veto such a bill, but Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, and Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairmen of the Judiciary Committee, said they plan to press ahead anyway.

Lawlor and McDonald said they plan to introduce their bill by Feb. 14, the deadline for new legislation.

The kids will certainly have their lovey-dovey work cut out for them.

In fact, the battle's already begun. Family Institute of Connecticut president Brian Brown got all haterific by convening a press conference urging lawmakers to hold a state-wide referendum on the matter. McDonald pointed out that state law doesn't allow such a tally, but opponent Lou DeLuca says he'll push for one once the matter reaches the Senate floor. Super!

(You kids may have noticed we erroneously reported that this was happening in Massachusetts. It's not. It's Connecticut. We blame sleep deprivation. Apologies)

That was a fun little jaunt into the world of artificial love affairs, but let's return to the real world and check in on the ever-exciting drama of the Episcopal Church.

For those of you not keeping score, the Anglican derivative has been torn asunder over whether or not homos have a place in their pews. While the debate goes back many-a-year, things got even more hectic after the 2003 consecration of the openly-gay bishop, Gene Robinson.

Since then, dozens of churches have come out for and against gays. In the most recent turn of events, there have been two divergent developments. 365 Gay reports:

The diocese of Dallas on Saturday narrowly voted against a motion to split from the US branch of Anglicanism but agreed to look at the issue in a year's time.

The diocese, meeting in convention, has "only delayed the inevitable" said one clergyman who supported an immediate split. A survey commissioned by Bishop James Stanton of priests and lay leaders in the diocese released shortly before the vote showed more than half believe the Church is moving in the wrong direction, 42 percent wanted their parishes out of the denomination, and almost a third wanted to remove the word "Episcopal" from the church signs, letterheads and literature.

The results of said survey highlight just how deep the spiritual split runs. As if that's not enough, leaders in Conneticut have given their priests the go-ahead to bless homo unions.

The decision, by Bishop Andrew Smith, ignores a non-binding resolution passed in June at the Episcopal Church National General Convention that called for a moratorium on such services and for the bishops to "exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration'' of openly gay clergy.

"At the heart of the matter is whether we as a Church will welcome and embrace, serve with and care for and bless persons who are homosexual and partnered as cherished and fully accepted members of the body of Christ," Smith said during Saturd ay speech at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford at the diocese's annual convention.

As if you're not smart enough to figure it out: the more conservative followers are not pleased and call the move "defiant."

You know what? We think this entire thing's stupid. Why not just have a good ol' fashioned holy war and decide who wins?

Previously: Church Fissure Growing

• In Connecticut, a lawsuit against an Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut bishop Andrew D. Smith – filed by a consortium of priests – who voted for the election of an openly gay bishop gets thrown out by a judge, who claims the civil courtroom is no place to decide such a matter. [Hartford Courant]

• In Oklahoma, a one Michael Cich plans to flout the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell rules by trying to enlist and be open about his sexuality. The catch: The same day he tries to sign up, so too will his straight brother — and if they don't take Michael, he knows why. [KOTV]

• In Colorado, Focus on the Family has spent a half million dollars advocating for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage — the largest amount spent on any issue this election season. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

• In Toronto, more news from the 16th annual International AIDS Conference: There's conclusive evidence some STDs of the anus – specifically gonorrhoea and anal warts – directly raise the risk of HIV infection during anal sex if one partner is positive. [AIDS Map]

• In Britain, openly gay comedian and and former Pop World presenter Simon Amstell takes over hosting duties on the music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. [Pink News]

• In an interesting series of events, a West Point senior writes a thesis paper on how the military's anti-gay policies actually hurt the the armed forces they're meant to proect — and the U.S. Military gives him an award. [AP]

• In Connecticut, incumbent Joe Lieberman loses the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to newcomer Ned Lamont — though Lieberman promises to run for his seat anyhow, as an indepdendent. [NYT]

• In Philadelphia, a HIV awareness campaign ended abruptly when its message got mixed with one of stereotyping black violence. The ads urging young men to get tested for HIV – and feature "young African American men ... in the crosshairs of a gun with the tagline 'Have YOU been hit?'" – were pulled when the Black Gay Men's Leadership Council voiced concerns over the ads violent message. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

• In Iran, an underground gay magazine says "thank you" for the worldwide support of other GLBT organizations bringing attention to their push for equality. [Pink News]

• The rainbow flag waving outside a Kansas B&B comes back into the spotlight, with a local chapter of the Kansas Equality Coalition planning to gather at the hotel to give the local gay community a voice. [Hutchinson News]

• In Israel, Jerusalem police have banned a demonstration in the city's centre, claiming World Pride organizers failed to limit the number of participants, supposedly for safety concerns. Demonstrators, however, are reportedly still set on holding the event. [Jerusalem Post]

• In Washington, state Medicaid officials are pushing to stop publicly funded sex-change operations. There are still two operations in the queue, and those will go ahead, and the state will remain paying for "hormone treatment and psychotherapy for low-income people diagnosed with gender-identity disorders." [Advocate]

• In Connecticut, the State Supreme Court has denied a request from the conservative Family Institute of Connecticut to get involved in a lawsuit between the state and gay couples looking for gay marriage rights. Connecticut is the second state to allow civil unions, but many advocates are pushing for full marriage rights. [AP]

• Also in Connecticut, it's the Democratic primary faceoff between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont. If he loses, Lieberman has suggested he'll run for his U.S. Senate seat as an independent. Connecticut voters: find your polling location here. [NYT]

• In Iraq comes news that insurgents are targeting a new enemy: gay men and boys as young as 11. Reports abound of men murdered for being gay and of boys being sold as sex slaves into gangs — and in some cases, murdered. The murders, of course, fall under honor killings for Muslim families. The result? A influx of refugees in European countries. [The Observer]

• As WorldPride 2006 attendees continue to celebrate in Jerusalem, organizers are quick to express solidarity with gay Palestinians — with a demonstration taking place today. [Gay.com]

• Meanwhile, WorldPride continues to bring out the zealots, with Orthodox Jewish leaders again condemning the event for fear that turning Jersualem into a "homo city" it will bring God's wrath. [WDC Media]

• In Colorado, some 133,000 signatures are expected to be submitted by same-sex marriage foes, a move to increase pressure on voters in November who will decide on the matter at the ballot box. [Advocate]

• The United Nations is fingering the U.S. for not doing enough to protect its gay citizens. The report, released late last month, chides officials for not enacting protection laws for gays in the workplace and on the receiving end of violence. [NYB]

• After 21 years in prison, Robert Rosenkrantz is free. He left a Los Angeles jail on parole after serving a 17-year-to-life sentence for killing his best friend from high school — for telling Rosenkrantz he was gay. Judges had approved Rosenkrantz's parole appeals before but California's State Attorney General's office rebuffed his attempts. [ABC 7]

• As conservatives in Colorado beef up efforts to have the state define marriage as a union between a woman and a man – with a state constituional amendment expected to be submitted today – gay rights advocates are taking a different strategy, putting a bill supporting domestic partnerships on the ballot instead of just asking voters to strike down the other measure. [SF Chronicle]

• Connecticut's Joe Lieberman, fighting to save his U.S. Senate seat from challenger Ned Lamont, today makes a last stab at distancing himself from President Bush by criticizing him on his handling of Iraq and making sure you're aware he doesn't agree with the White House's position on stem cell research or a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. [AP]

• While some military leaders have worked hard to ensure their outfits are at least tolerant of gays, others haven't been so friendly. On the Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, homophobia runs rampant, with a video about the F-14 Tomcat (shown to reporters) depicting pilots – including the fighter squadron's commander – wearing T-shirts reading "I'm a Tomcat guy and you're a homo." While gay service men and women can be dismissed for publicly announcing their sexual orientation, harassment is supposedly prohibited. [Reuters]

• Montana Democrats aren't so interested in supporting gay marriage this time around, though their just-approved party platform calls for civil union support and "hate crime" status for crimes committed based on sexual orientation. [365 Gay]

• WorldPride 2006 kicks off this weekend in Jerusalem, despite vast efforts to have it shuttered or moved. Organizers prepare for a week of events, depsite the on-going attacks with Lebanon. [Pink News]

• Switching from California to New Mexico, three gay bashing suspects have been arrested and charged with hate crimes in the beating of an 18-year-old gay man. [Advocate]

• As Connecticut's Democratic race for U.S. Senate heats up, incumbent Joe Lieberman has decades of healthy relations with the gay community to back him against challenger Ned Lamont. [INW]

• The annual gay pride/AIDS event aimed at people of color in Queens, New York – Pride in the City – had its five year history put into jeopardy after park services officials tried to limit attendance at 1,500 (it usually reaches 5,000) and ban the live concert, supposedly an effort to curb littering and obstruction to beach goers. After plenty of media attention, the city officials relented somewhat: live music will be allowed, at a distance, but attendance will still be capped at a fraction of what's expected. [NYT]

Do you want to see Dangerous Muse perform next week at the Gay Games? Then make sure you enter our contest for a free pair of tickets! More info here.

• Losing your hair? God still loves you. Perhaps even more than your full-headed friends. [Slate]

• Kathy Griffin may love her gays, but only if they're willing to meet her quote. [Page Six]

• A Connecticut judge rules gay couples haven't been disadvantged by the state's deciison to allow civil unions instead of full marriage. [AP]

• A line of grooming products inspired by America's freeways would, under normal circumstances, scare us away. [UrbanDaddy]

Sen. Joe Lieberman has reminded us again why he needs to get the boot from the Senate with a new retro cartoon ad that unveils his campaign's new strategy against challenger Ned Lamont. We call the strategy "Queer the Opposition," which is what the ad is doing by portraying Lamont as a little bear with a high-pitched voice wearing a pink Polo shirt (a "bear cub"?).

Ostensibly the point of the ad is to paint Lamont as a follower of Lowell Weicker, the former Senator who lost to Joe Lieberman in 1988, but the underlying message, which somehow comes across far clearer than the verbal one, is that Lamont is a sissy, and you shouldn't vote for sissies.

We urge all of our sissy readers to contact Joe Lieberman if you're as displeased with this ad as we are. You can call (860) 549-8463 or email him here.

Also, if you believe in progressive values, please consider donating money to Ned Lamont's campaign. His victory in November would be a big step towards setting the Democratic Party back on the right track.

Watch the campaign commercial after the jump.

CONTINUED »

What were some of the biggest headlines and news stories about the gay community this year? There were many important happenings this year. Here are our top So Gay! picks.

5. Hangings In Iran. It’s tough enough being openly gay in this world. But we can’t even begin to imagine living in a country where people are publicly executed for being gay. Absolutely revolting.

4. Sheryl Swoopes’ Coming Out. The bitch was so cool this year that she made not one but two of our So Gay! lists. No one in pro sports as popular as the WNBA’s Swoops has had the courage to come out of the closet while still an active player. We hope this is the start of a long overdue trend.

3. Schwarzenegger Same-Sex Marriage Bill Veto. Oh that Arnie. As seen as he found out about it, the former homo boy toy announced he would veto the bill that would have legalized gay marriage in California, the country’s most populated state. His follow through instantly disappointed committed queers in GLBT meccas San Francisco, Palm Springs, and LA. Guess who is up for re-election next year?

2. Vatican Ban On Gays. Though employing God only knows how many gays, the Catholic Church this year decided it wanted them banned from the Priesthood. The directive came out under newbie Pope Benedict. Why the need for the document? Because only gays abuse little boys, silly! Get rid of them and bammo! Problem solved. Well, not really.

CONTINUED »