Officials from a New Jersey school may face detention. Or, at least, a stiff fine.

State officials ruled a bisexual student can pursue a case against the Jackson Township school district after administrators and teachers did nothing to stop anti-queer harassment. Speaking on the matter, civil rights activist J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo said: D

espite repeatedly calling it to the attention of school authorities, the complainant in this case appears to have been exposed to a harassing environment that was, over a period of years, both severe and persuasive

The anonymous youth first brought the bullying up back in 2005, when he asked for a class transfer. Then, in 2006, the student told teachers that another student had threatened his life. Yet, nothing was done. Though there will be no judged trial, there will be a conciliation process. If found guilty, the school may be fined $10,000. Officials, however, have pledged to fight the case.

School May Have Allowed Bullying Of Bisexual Teen [CBS]

As we mentioned Friday, Jim McGreevey and Dina McGreevey will share custody of their daughter, Jacqueline. The judge struck down Dina's request for sole custody, thus giving Jim the first win in what will likely be a series of ugly (and public) divorce battles. Not only that, Judge Karen Cassidy agreed with the former New Jersey Governor and appointed a mediator to "oversee" the five-year old's relationship with her parents. Jimmy Boy wasn't the only winner. His soon-to-be ex-wife scored one potentially anti-gay point...

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• Army Staff Sgt. Edmundo F. Estrada from Virginia's Fort Eustis has been charged with rape, indecent assault, having an inappropriate relationship with a trainee, and cruelty and maltreatment of subordinates, after another solider alleged Estrada forced him to dress up like Superman and then, well, raped him. He told his victim that he'd previously "help soldiers with their self-confidence and alleviate depression". Um right... Could it be Devery L. Taylor's going to get a cell mate? [Pilot Online]

• The media's been so focussed on Ann Coulter's faggot flinging that no one's acknowledging her suggestion that gays should be Republicans: "Gays make a lot of money and are victims of crime... [And] Republicans are anti-tax and anti-crime." Lane Hudson says she's sort of, not really saying gays should be protected by hate crime laws. Do you agree or do you think Hudson's had a few too many poppers? [News From The Left]

• Long Hill, New Jersey mayor and practicing lesbian Gina Genovese will be running for Senator. That's really all you need to know. [The Star Ledger]

• Soulforce rides again! And they're coming to a town near you! [Soulforce]

• So, too, are Scissor Sisters! [Scissor Sisters]

• We knew it all along: Britney Spears is the anti-Christ! [Mollygood]

• Rich old tax evader and gay marriage activist Charles Merill wants to be the next non-gay gay artistic messiah. To this end, he's entered a painting into Charles Saatchi's art competition, Smackdown. And, not surprisingly, he wants you vote. How do we know? He sent out his own press release. [Earth Times]

• DNC Chairman Howard Dean on the late AIDS activist, Bob Hattoy: "This weekend, America lost a true champion for justice. Aside from being a fierce advocate on causes ranging from LGBT rights and HIV issues, to civil liberties and the environment, Bob Hattoy was a wonderfully charming man with a tremendous sense of humor... Through Bob's life and service to our country, we are all reminded of the need to do more to encourage greater participation of all Americans, including gays and lesbians, in our political process." [365 Gay]

Police have arrested one man and are looking for another after they beat an unidentified 21-year for wearing pink pants. The sartorially-minded lad had just taken the train into Hoboken when the homo-hating duo started taunting him and eventually gave him such a pummeling that he needed twelve stitches to the face.

Of the incident, Garden State Equality's Steven Goldstein said:

It is an outrage that this incident occurred based on the perception that someone is gay. We hope to see the criminals who tried to ruin this young man's life receive many years behind bars.

That'll learn 'em a thing or two about fashion.

Gay bullying's no laughing matter. It's so unfunny, in fact, that the New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that schools have a constitutional duty to protect gay kids from school yard tyrants. Why, then, are we slightly amused by a case down in Oklahoma?

Here's what's happening: 19-year old Michale D. Bullis has filed a lawsuit against his school for failing to protect him against scores of sourpusses who made his life a living hell. In addition to getting his fill of epithets, knuckle sandwiches and other typical thug gifts, Bullis' bullies went the extra mile:

Bullis was also subjected to repeated sexual assaults, which consisted of inappropriate and unwanted backrubs accompanied by verbal mockery and insults, inappropriate stroking of his neck and throat, also accompanied by blowing in his ear and touching, and rubbing and grabbing his genitals...

That doesn't sound so bad to us. Yeah, the beatings ain't fresh, but this doesn't sound like the work of a bully. It just sounds like someone was trying to get a date. As for being "amused" - we take that back. We're bemused.

Less than a week since civil unions commenced in New Jersey, The Garden State's Catholic leaders used yesterday's services to remind followers where they stand on gay marriage. Of the decision, New Jersey Catholic Conference executive director Patrick R. Brannigan said:

We would be foolish to sit silently knowing that people are very effectively articulating a position that is in opposition to our church teaching...

Hmm, because people were actually going to forget the Catholics loathe the gays? That would require mass amnesia and/or idiocy.

Standing together, righteous followers recited The Prayer of the Faithful, a portion of which begs:

God our almighty Father has given married love, its faithfulness and its fruitfulness, a special significance in the history of salvation.

Don't Catholics believe God gave us everything? If that's the case than, yes, this God person gave us marriage, but doesn't that mean He (or She) also gave us homos. We've never really understood this logic. Nor, it seems, do the Catholics.

Our memory must be failing, because we forgot to mention the New York Daily News' rundown on NJ gay "marriage". Good thing those gay loving Gawkers posted on it earlier today, pointing out that a particularly queer couple, Christopher Dean & Keith Denick, have perpetuated years of stereotypes by singing their vows and vowing to have a "fabulous" reception. Despite the fag's best efforts to have the gayest wedding in town, the article's lesbian subjects, Elena Cardona & Liz Quinones, seem to have out-fagged them. The article describes their musical selections:

Elena will walk down the aisle to Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings." "I cry every time I hear it because the words are so touching," says Liz. The first dance is to Shania Twain's "From This Moment." Elena's Mother and Daughter dance is to Celine Dion's "Because You Love Me."

Sure, the tracks may be a bit dated, but they're certainly gay classic. If we didn't know better, we'd say the ladies do it in the what what.

Today is a big day for the gays. Not only are the first photos of Daniel Radcliffe's turn in Equus showing up, but New Jersey officially became the third state in the union to let folks like us get hitched — at least with an asterisk. Behind Massachusetts (where it's actual "marriage") and Vermont, Joi-sy opens up its roster for same-sex couples with the legalization of civil unions. Technically, residents looking to get hitched will have a three-day waiting process (just like hetero couples), but those who registered their love earlier in another state can get their shiny certificate today, like 15-year partners Steven Goldstein and Daniel Gross did, becoming NJ's first same-sex union-ed couple. (They previously exchanged vows in Vermont.)

And good news for gays already betrothed: New Jersey is recognizing you just the same.

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Remember how a New Jersey school pulled the apparently inflammatory, certainly information film, That a Family! after parents objected to it its realistic depiction of gay families? Well, the film's production company released a statement in response.

We've gone ahead and posted the entire message from Women's Educational Media executive director, Debra Chasnoff after the jump, but here's a taste:

That's a Family! takes the lesson of the Golden Rule and illustrates it with real world examples for children and by children. The unfortunate anti-gay hostilities expressed recently by some politically motivated parents in Evesham Township are proof that this lesson is needed now more than ever.
...
We urge the [Evesham Township school district] to consider these facts: families like those in our film exist in their school district - including families with same-sex parents - and all of their children deserve a safe environment, an environment devoid of harassment, intimidation and bullying that enables the students to focus on learning.

Sure, it's a nice little statement, but we're not sure the "politically motivated parents" are so keen on learning. It seems to us they'd be happier teaching their children babies come from the stork and masturbation makes you blind.

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While HRC and its homies were living it up, New Jersey's Evesham School District put the smack down on a video called That's a Family! A raw piece of educational material, the tawdry film features swaths of families, including a family with gay parents and another with - gasp - single mothers! A number of concerned parents called the video "disturbing" - a word we don't think quite sums up the horrors of realistic pedagogy - and rallied for the film to be banned from the curriculum. After two weeks of deliberation, the board has crumbled to the hysterical parents' demands and the children's education will continue to be safe against anything progressive, true or in anyway relevant to the world, their lives and/or rationality.

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• The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network hopes to combat homophobia and other forms of schoolyard bullying with January's "No Name-Calling Week". All those who utter a nasty name will have their tongues cut out and hung from the flag pole.

• In other education-related news, ACLU Florida has filed for a preliminary injunction on behalf of Okeechobee High School's Gay-Straight Alliance. Apparently the school tried to block their meetings. When will they learn: fuck with GSA and you fuck with the ACLU.

• New Jersey Attorney General Stuart Rabner issued a statement saying that religious organizations opposed to same-sex unions have the right to refuse. That's good - we wouldn't want them blurring that whole church/state line. Even in the name of faggotry.

• Robert Klein Engler's constructed an essay deconstructing constructionist queer theory. Careful it doesn't fall apart...

• New York Governor Elliot Spitzer asked homo-politico Sean Patrick Maloney to join his staff as first deputy secretary. A political match made in heaven.

• Via our favorite bear, Andrew Sullivan, here's a fun (and hairy) song-and-dance site.

• Butt is it art? Virginia teacher Stephen Murmer just got canned for his side-job: making paintings with his posterior.

As you may or may not know, New Jersey lawmakers voted yesterday to allow civil unions. While not equal to the coveted institution of marriage, the new laws will expand certain rights, such as inheritance and adoption rights. The law will go into effect 60 days after it's signed by Governor Jon Corzine, which is expected this week.

Undeniably a landmark move for The Garden State, the reaction's been mixed. One of the biggest complaints is that the legislature rushed through the bill too quickly. Ruling that gays have the same constitutional rights as straights, the state's Supreme Court gave the legislature 180 days to compose the new laws. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The bill was hurried through the process in 10 days, giving marriage advocates little ability to argue their case, said Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney David Buckel, who represented seven couples who sued the state for the right to marry.

"The irony is that the court referred this matter to the Legislature because it did not want to short-circuit the democratic process," he said. "The Legislature is doing just that."

Others saw Thursday's vote as a victory for gay rights. By guaranteeing same-sex couples rights equivalent to marriage, lawmakers "have told the world that marriage no longer matters," said Robert Knight of the Media Research Center, who opposes gay marriage. "This is a social wrecking ball."

One can't help but wonder what Knight would say to Garden State Equality chairman Steven Goldstein, who maintains, "Mark my words, New Jersey will see the marriage equality law passed by this Legislature within the next year or two".

New Jersey joins Vermont and Connecticut on the civil union train. Whether that train's heading for higher ground or off a cliff remains to be seen and, of course, on your opinion.

Also, if you guys want a handy state-by-state rundown of marriage/civil union laws, head on over to CBS affiliate WCBS.