The 300,000-strong The Presbyterian Church in Ireland will release a report later this year in which they tacitly affirm the potential power conversion therapy. The Social Issues and Resources Panel announces:

It is sufficiently documented that there are those who have moved from a position of having same sex attractions to being heterosexual...

This is entirely possible for some whose sexual identity has been part and parcel of a confused personal identity.

Some may claim that such people were never truly homosexual or lesbian in the first place. That may be so and it is important to note that for many, even should they wish to undergo counseling their same sex attractions may not change...

Though the panel also suggests the creation of a homo help line, it does not explicitly recognize the existence of gay people...

CONTINUED »

As New York City Council Speaker and notable lesbian Christine Quinn heads to Ireland for St. Patrick's day, NYC-based Irish Queers are planning their 16th annual protest against the parade's ban on the bent boys (and girls). The group will gather at 58th and 5th Avenue at 10:30am tomorrow to raise their voices. Their Irish peers in the homeland, meanwhile, will coordinate a simultaneous strike. Of the conflict, Irish Queer Tierney Gleason says:

This is about more than a parade – it’s about whole communities. When parade organizers voice hatred toward Irish and Irish-American LGBT people, they foster intolerance and ultimately violence against LGBT people in immigrant communities.

As Irish Queers, we persist in living our Irishness and queerness simultaneously. We won’t let a bunch of religious-right businessmen tell us we’re not Irish just because we don’t fit their agenda.

That's right, Gleason! Do not, under any circumstance, allow some homo-haters to ruin your day of drunken madness. Plus, considering that Saint Patrick spent a time of his life as a slave, we're pretty sure he'd approve of your rabble-rousing. But, then again, we've never been tight with the Saints. We actually heard it from one of our in-the-know demon pals...

Ireland's Sunday Tribune's has caused quite a stir after posign as a 15-year old boy on Gaydar. Two intrepid reporters - Una Mullally and Mick McCaffrey - decided to go undercover after news spread that a 15-year old boy had been using the popular website to score tricks. In the provocatively entitled article, "Open Season on Irish Teens", the daring duo describe creating the fictitious online identity and receiving over 40 replies within a day, a number they seem to think indicates an evil epidemic. Some homo-journos, meanwhile, insist they're the evil ones.

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Seems like the Irish homos will have to wait a little longer before they marry: the nation's Parliament deemed the Labour Party-endorsed civil unions bill to be unconstitutional. As in other parts of the world, much of the debate revolves around the definition of marriage: a nebulous institution protected by Article 41 of the Irish constitution.

It's this legislative detail that opponents latched on to, insisting that the marriage bill threatened this singular article and, therefore, the entire constitution. One vocal contender, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said that while the bill didn't pass, the government's committed to extending rights to gays. Just not yet. In his speech, he recalled the country's past experiences with discrimination:

From the very dark days of prejudice, a new tolerance has emerged based on our appreciation of the fact that homosexual people are in every respect entitled to be equally valued as members of society and not to be relegated to an inferior status.

His opponents, meanwhile, called his decision "shameful, shallow, and rowdy", among other things. Yeah, those are all fine words, but we have another: shitty.

Despite the ruling, the government has vowed to revisit the issue. Until then, homos, you'll just have to chill...

We can't believe that people still think of faggotry as some big sexual sponge, slowly but surely sopping up the rest of the world's mating and dating rituals. Foolish, yes, but that didn't stop legendary homophobe and Polish President Lech Kaczynski from airing his gay grievances in Ireland.

Taking an official visit in Ireland, where the gay marriage debate has been raging like a bad case of gonorrhea, Kaczynski defended his decision to ban a gay rights parade in Warsaw, saying:

If that kind of approach to sexual life were to be promoted on a grand scale, the human race would disappear.

Imagine what grand changes would occur in mores if the traditional links between men and women were set aside.

Well, yes, we suppose that would be disastrous - at least in theory. Sure, you technically need a man and a woman to have a baby, but we're sure the grand gay agenda's planned for procreation. It's really quite simple: once a month the lesbians and the gays will come together, swap sperm, eggs and the rest and hope for the best.

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Okay, that's enough horsing around, you guys. Let's talk news. You may be interested to hear that Ireland's (Tanaiste) Deputy PM and Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell dolled out 2.2 million euros to foster gender equality. Most of the money will be devoted to women living in "Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development (RAPID)" regions: impoverished regions that receive extra government assistance.

The money comes from The Equality for Women Measure of the National Development Plan 2000-2006: a 7 million euro-strong scheme that hopes to further women's rights in Ireland through myriad social programs. Of the fresh increment, McDowell said:

Women in all areas of Ireland have now had an opportunity to benefit from this measure while some resources have been focused specifically on organizations working to enhance equality for women living in particularly disadvantaged areas.

He then proceeded to pick the five youngest, sexiest girls from the press corp and fuck them silly.

• Rosie O'Donnell glossed over that whole Donald Trump feud with a bitchy snarl. We've never seen her look so good. [TMZ]

• Prince William spent some time talking to the less rich, royal. What a prince. Literally. [BBC]

• Four Roman Catholic bishops told Massachusett's legislators they want another gay-nup vote. What a surprise. [The Boston Globe]

• Super cool lesbian couple Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan appealed Ireland's High Court's dismissal of their Canadian marriage. [RTE News]

• NY psychologist Carol Gilligan and author Angela PhillipsTime Magazine article. Ah, the sweet smell of downfall. [Truth Wins Out]

• Ohio's anti-bullying law were passed on to exiting Governor Bob Taft. He's got ten days to sign it. Cross your fingers. [Gay People's Chronicle]

When we first reported on Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone - the lesbian couple whose Canadian marrige got sacked by Ireland's high court - we described them as "looking pretty effing cool". We'd like to amend that by saying they are effing cool.

In reaction to the ruling, Zappone (the labia loving lady on the left) thanked the judge and said:

Ann Louise and I love one another. We have requested that the human right to marry is extended to us. We are the only kind of human beings in Ireland whose right to marry the person they choose to love is not acknowledged, not protected and not respected.
...
We believe that Ireland will be a land of justice and equality for all human beings... We believe that the Irish Constitution does protect and promote our rights – as it does all others.

No tirade. No tears. Just the facts - she's discriminated against, she doesn't think she should be, but she's optimistic the future will bring positive change.

So effortless, so poignant. Ann Louise better watch out, because we're in love...

In other gay nup news, Ireland's High Court tossed lesbian couple Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan's marriage case. As you may recall, the women officiated their 20-year love affair with a little Canadian marriage action, expecting their home government to support their Canuck committment. Well, it didn't and the women sued, insisting that the government discriminated against them.

A first legal go pushed the case on to the High Court. In yesterday's ruling, Justice Elizabeth Dunne dismissed the case with a 138-page report saying the law clearly defines marriage as between a man and a woman.The women's lawyer insists that the ruling is based on outdated, anachronistic laws. While she admitted the law is discriminatory, the decision-making process falls in the legislative realm. (Sound familiar?)

Our little gay hearts go out to Zappone and Gilligan. They were going to be our lesbian couple of the year, but now that they're living in Irish sin...well, we're afraid that goes against the Queerty Ordinance of 1812.

It’d be a glaring omission not to include the Irish-born painter Francis Bacon in The Totally Frightful Issue.

Though he started his artistic career as an interior decorator, Bacon made a name for himself with his vivid, figurative depictions of humans in pain, yearning to capture, as he said, “sensation.” As is so often the case in art, the form of this sensation depends largely on the viewer.

While some insist his work draws on the violent, world war torn period in which he came of age, others narrow in on his homo-ways to explain the radical sexuality in his distorted, often grotesque images.

Regardless of one's take on the matter, we think he's dreadfully frightful - in the best way possible, of course.

See a few of our favorite Francis Bacon paintings, after the jump...

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As Lance and Reichen get security to ward off the haters, students in Ireland have a new national campaign against homophobia bullying.

The product of a team-up between the Equality Authority (the authority on equality) and BeLong To Youth, the movement hopes to use posters, consciousness raising, and a bit of tough love to curb slurs, attacks, and general ass-kickings against students perceived to be gay. Ireland's Gay Community News reports:

"Research has shown very widespread and high levels of homophobic bullying in post-primary schools," says Niall Crowley, CEO of the Equality Authority. "It is important that we respond to that and seek to eliminate the problem, while responding to the needs of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in a way..."

"The Equal Status Act makes provisions in this area with its prohibition on harassment under sexual orientation grounds, which includes harrasement in schools. It is important that people know their rights under the Equal Status Act and become confident in making use of those rights."

So, Irish bullies, if you have a particular fag or fagette that you've been meaning to pummel...well, tough shit for you. Unless you're a total bad-ass, in which case we don't imagine a poster and pamphlet will stop you or your hateful ways.

As we write this, our favorite lesbian couple in all of Ireland, Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone (pictured), are awaiting the High Court's decision on whether or not their country will recognize their Canadian gay marriage.

We previously reported (if you can really call it that) that the lovely, and devastatingly cool, couple officiated their love while living abroad. Upon their Irish return, however, the government refused to validate their wedding, meaning that the ladies would suffer under unjust tax rules, social disenfranchisement, and general shittiness. Like all good social avengers, they took their case to court.

Pink News UK reports:

The couple argue that failing to recognise their Canadian marriage, and in failing to apply the tax law provisions relating to married couples to them as a married couple, the State and the Revenue Commissioners have acted unlawfully, in breach of their constitutional rights to equality, to marriage, to property rights and family rights and in breach of their rights to privacy, marriage and non-discrimination under the European Convention on Human Rights.

If Judge Elizabeth Dunne decides to acknowledge their lezzie love, it would be a huge step for the country's progressive development. But, as Judges dealing with such high-profile cases tend to do, Dunne is taking her sweet time in delivering her ruling.

Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer, then.

Earlier: Irish High Court Up In Gay Marriage Mix