Kanako Otsuji has changed the face of Japanese politics. In 2003, at the tender age of 28, Otsuji became the candidate to win a seat on Osaka's assembly. In that seat, the politician pushed for social change, successfully passing a law allowing gay couples to rent housing together. Then, in 2005, Otsuji came out as a lesbian, thus becoming the first openly gay politician in Japanese history. Though the public embraced her, Otsuji found some opposition among her political peers, including, according to the Guardian, one anti-queer "comrade" who asked her if she planned on becoming a man.

Despite this ignorance - and her aides' advice to keep a lid on it - Otsuji hasn't given up her political dreams and has just joined forces with the Democratic party to launch a campaign for Japan's upper parliament. Not surprisingly, Otsuji's efforts rest on highlighting Japan's diverse nature, a stark departure from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's chimerical political conformity.

In a message on her website, Otsuji wrote:

I think there is a tendency to put forward one set of values and make it seem as though that is the only beautiful or right way. But the reality is becoming more diverse. Japanese society is not engaging with the wide range of people living in diverse ways, in terms of nationality, race, sex, age and disabilities.

Hopefully Otsuji's countrymen will feel the same way.

Thank god for New Yorker's music critic, Sasha Frere-Jones. Had it not been for SFJ's ever attentive ear, we never would have heard of lesbian hip-hoppers, Yo Majesty.

The ladies - Shunda-K, Jwl. B and Shon-B - hail from Tampa, Florida, and have dedicated their bass-heavy, unrefined sound to giving the world what it needs: "soul stirring". And with lyrics like, "Rub on my monkey, kiss on my monkey, feel on my monkey," they're stirring more than just souls.

We're so excited by the girls' sapphic sounds, we've included not one, not two, but three videos! Above you'll see the video for "Club Action". After the jump you can get down on "Hustle Mode" and an interview between Yo Majesty and The Gossip's leading lesbian (and Keira Knightley's weight-gaining "inspiration"), Beth Ditto.

CONTINUED »

It's rare that a newspaper report on a suicide, let alone a double lesbian suicide, but yesterday's Marin Independent Journal included news that two elderly "life partners and roommates", Barbara Francisco, 80, and Pauline Putnam, 89 have offed themselves.

The women lived together in a retirement home and, according to officials, never did anything apart. Including die. Tom Bucci, chief executive officer of the women's retirement home, remarked: "The two women were life partners...They lived their whole life together. It's always been a very important part of them to control their destiny."

A bit sad, yes, but also a bit romantic. Imagine: two old lesbians who grew up in a hateful, no doubt unsatisfactory world, find love, live together and die in one another's arms. It's sort of like The Notebook. Only with lesbians...

The Lesbian Death Angels - a group dedicated to setting "the world back on its axis one hex at a time" - have claimed responsibility for 73-year old Reverend Jerry Falwell's death. The boastful baddies issued a press release reading thus:

[We], concerned that Rev. Falwell's followers will misattribute the cause of their leader's demise to their antigod or to some weenie group like Soulforce, have announced that, in a mass worldwide action, they hexed at 10:30 am today and that the subject of their hex was the Rev. Jerry Falwell. In other words, they are claiming to be responsible for Jerry's death and wish the world to know that they are proud of it to boot.

The LDA also noted that though they don't usually take credit for their high-profile hexings, they feel compelled to break their routine silence.

One member, coochie-loving, spell-casting Connie L. Ingus, remarked: ""Proselytizing is usually so rude". Indeed.

The press release also warns that the ladies will hex again. It did not, however, name a specific target. Be Afraid. Be very, very afraid.

Lesbians Claim Credit For Falwell Demise [bilerico]

Rosie O'Donnell's up to her shit-spouting tricks. The soon-to-be former View co-host posted a very special blog video in which she alleges that fellow lesbian chatter box, Ellen Degeneres, signed a contract prohibiting her from discussing her sexuality.

CONTINUED »

Karey Dornetto's Ilene Chaiken-inspired video inspired us to head over to Chaiken's virtual L-Word spin-off, Our Chart. In addition to some words from Chaiken herself, the site also features such exclusives as "Inside The Writer's Room," "What Would Jenny Do?" (based on that crazy character) and the eagerly-anticipated, Our Chart-exclusive pulp series, Girltrash!

We've chatted about the LA-crime drama before, expressing our glee that Jordana Brewster had signed on as a recurring character. Obviously this excited us to no end, especially after watching Brewster deliver one of the most unapologetically ludicrous lines in homo history: "You don't know who the fuck you're dealing with, you motherfucking cocksucking pussy!" We get wet just writing it. (Sadly, the video has since been removed from YouTube - you can watch a ghetto version here.)

Unfortunately, Our Chart currently features this note from Girltrash! creator, Angela Robinson:

My friend, Jordana Brewster, was going to be in GT and we shot a few previews with her, but she had to drop out of GT to star in the pilot for Mr. and Mrs. Smith (which is very exciting!). We were sad to lose her, and she may come back and do a few episodes for us, depending on what happens to her show. In the meantime, I kept the footage of Jordana in the previews because I thought it was fun to see her being a bad-ass...

Sigh. At least Margaret Cho's still a part of the meow mix...

Ilene Chaiken counts herself as one of the most influential, forward-thinking queers today. Literally. And rightfully so, the 46-year old lesbian created, produces and writes Showtime's colossal coochie-loving soap, The L-Word. No small feat, to be sure. And, according to comedienne Karey Dornetto, an accomplishment of which Chaiken's endlessly proud.

(PS: We love Chaiken's ethereal theme music!)

Thirteen Health and Human Services employees quit a diversity committee after state officials barred a lesbian speaker from a planned event.

Becky Gillespie had been invited to discuss her experience raising two children with her lover. Unfortunately, officials weren't down with her lesbianic insight. Reacting to the news, Gillespie said,

Because my partner isn't male, my family doesn't count. It isn't a family. [I was going to speak] so they could be a little more aware when they're discussing their own issues with their own children, so we could stop perpetuating bias and prejudice.

An HHS official, meanwhile, say the committee's meant to address "cultural diversity," according to Omaha's KETV: "We followed the federal protected classes. Sexual orientation is not a federally protected class." The official, however, would like to discuss the matter further.

The brouhaha happens to coincide with a Canadian report saying lesbians have no child-rearing disadvantage. In fact, children may benefit from having two mommies:

A few studies suggest that children with two lesbian mothers may have marginally better social competence than children in 'traditional nuclear' families, even fewer studies show the opposite, and most studies fail to find any differences.

Someone send that along to James Dobson...

• Madonna got a haircut. No word on an amount, but we bet it costs a fucking fortune to look so - um...well, to have such nice looking hair. The face? Not looking so hot...

• Ellen injured! Lesbian talk show host and all around lesbian Ellen Degeneres will be performing her chat fest from bed after injuring her back. Perhaps Portia got a little rough?

• Kenya is getting lax on the fags. Gay activist Angus Parkinson says:of Liverpool VCT, a support centre in Nairobi, "Kenya is heading in a different direction from its neighbours." Well, we should hope so, because neighboring Uganda doesn't have the best record...

• Today's fag rags have less fag and more rag, according to journo Sam McManis: "Now, these niche newspapers and magazines seem more about the "active lifestyle," as the media cliche goes. Home improvement. Fashion. Celebrity culture. All the fun, frivolous stuff." Yeah, but it also brings in the ever-important dollar. Gotta get that dollar, homie...

• Candy Spelling's plan to save America's international image? More reruns of Charlie's Angels, Dynasty and, if we're in a bind, Falcon's Crest.

• On Friday, we informed you that an Arkansas man's suing his local library because his son suffered "many sleepless nights" after finding The Whole Lesbian Sex Book. Um, duh he had sleepless nights (assuming, of course, he's straight). Speaking on the brouhaha, the book's author, Felice Newman, asks, "If librarians pull such books from the shelves, where will kids find out about sex?" You're looking at it...

• Andy Warhol's the number two highest-selling artist in the world. Picasso's number one.

• Pete Wentz ain't just a make-up wearing rock star, he's a linguistic mastermind. For example, he doesn't wear eyeliner. He wears "guy-liner". Total difference. Total genius.

Rosie O'Donnell's about to have a lot of time on her lesbianic hands. TMZ has confirmed that the 45-year old big mouth will be leaving The View, a retreat she'll allegedly announce on today's episode. O'Donnell's departure comes less than a year after her September 6, 2006 take-over for Meredith Vieira. A pretty short tenure for a woman some people credit for making the ten-year old gab-fest relevant again. (In her first three months, O'Donnell helped boost ratings by 15%.)

One can't help but wonder if O'Donnell's many feuds have something to do with her ouster. She did, after all, once promise to stop digging on The Don, yet told had a special message for him at Monday's Matrix Awards: "Eat Me".

In light of this announcement, we'd like to share an email message we just received from an irate - and possibly deranged - reader:

Rosie is a fat lesbo, and I would love to have two hours alone with her. Given the chance, I can convert any abnormal lesbian back to normality as I have proven on several occasions. But Rosie is so disgusting that I would have to have one of my assistants do her. Apparently you are also of the rug munching variety and therefore would also qualify for my services. Let me know.

Um...thanks for the offer, but we're not carpet munchers. Even if we were, we'd rather eat pussy and "burn in hell" than have a go with someone who describes lesbianism as "abnormal". Fucker.

Update: Via TMZ:

Rosie O'Donnell said: "Breaking News. I've decided we couldn't come to terms with my deal." Rosie wanted one year and ABC wanted three years. She says she'll be on frequently next season but won't be a regular.

Great! Even less time we have to spend not watching The View! Oh, also, Donald Trump's apparently taking credit for Rosie's unemployment. Shocker.

What's good for the gander isn't necessarily good for the goose. Or not in Osceola, Iowa, where a lesbian couple have filed a lawsuit against a couple of coppers for assault and emotional distress.

Ann Senior and Jessica Anderson allege that newbie officers Rich Thomas and J.J. Murray manhandled them outside Rookie's Sports Bar and Grill after the girls called to report a dead goose found in the backseat of their car. Though they have no proof, the women insist the goose had been left as an anti-homo threat. The officer's however, didn't agree and apparently made light of the down-feathered friend. The boys allegedly swung the dead bird by it's neck and laughed at the women's story. Senior told reporters: "They just kept saying I was being ridiculous and what did I expect them to do, it was just a dead goose."

Frustrated by their lack of compassion, Senior started crying and attempted to leave, but say the men responded with brute force, tossing Anderson to the ground and shoving Senior, which led to her hitting her head on the car's bumper and passing out.

CONTINUED »

Sounds like Fergie had some experience playing a lesbian in Quentin Tarantino's forthcoming flick, Grind House. She tells New Zealand lad-mag Stuff that she's gotten down with the ladies:

I have had lesbian experiences in the past. But I started having sex quite late on - after I was 18. I was raised a good Catholic girl.

I won't say how many men I have slept with, although it's not many, but I am a very sexual person.

The singer's sapphic excursions came in the midst of her meth-fueled drug days, when she would fling herself about with reckless abandon. Though she may have had a gun put to her head during a botched drug deal, the former child star insists, "I never sold my body - ever." Good to know.

Speaking of knowing - we're sure Dolly Parton will be glad to know this bit of lesbianic gossip. Someone be a peach and pass it along.

Fergie confesses to lesbian flings [Stuff]