As anticipated, Oregonian Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the state's domestic partner bill this morning. Once the bill goes into effect on January 1, 2008, gays and lesbians will be afforded many - but not all - of the privileges of marriage.

With his signature, Kulongoski said, the Beaver state (seriously) will go from a state of "exclusion to one of complete inclusion". The governor also spilled some ink on a non-discrimination bill which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Beaver state's looking more and more appealing. Perhaps we'll forge a trail down Oregon way...

Oregon gov. signs domestic partner bill [Houston Chronicle]

Oregon's one step closer to domestic partnership rights. The House voted yesterday that same-sex couples (among others) deserve many of the same rights as straight married couples. Speaking on the historic win, Basic Rights Oregon's Aisling Coghlan remarked:

Today is without question a monumental day for not only Oregon, but for our nation. Oregonians know too well the value of being able to protect our families--and this bill directly reflects that deeply held pro-family belief. Basic Rights Oregon applauds the Senators who voted in favor of basic fairness for all Oregon families, a value very much in step with the majority of Oregonians. We should all be proud of this historic day.
...
House Bill 2007 is not simply another piece of legislation, but a moral call that both the Senate and House have strongly answered and the Governor has pledged to meet.

Of course, the real celebration comes when Governor Ted Kulongoski signs his name, thus officiating House Bill 2007's legal status. Although, Kulongoski has already pledged to give up his John Hancock on this and an anti-discrimination bill.

Oregon Domestic Partnership Bill Heads to Governor's Desk [Salem News]

Oregon state Representative Dennis Richardson certainly offered a mountful in his newsletter last week:

This past week has been like no other. On Monday the world witnessed the tragedy at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. On Tuesday Oregon witnessed the passage of Domestic Benefits for same-sex couples (HB 2007) and Civil Rights based on sexual orientation.

Whoa. Talk about apples and oranges. 32 lives lost and the opportunity for countless happy lives to be lived. Our words fail us right now, so we'll let Loaded Orygun do the talking:

I could come up with any number of adjectives to describe this noxious juxtaposition--such as ignorant, hateful, paranoid, misinformed, calculating, neanderthal or just plain stupid--but let's just stick with "pathetic"...

Oh, wait, that inspired us: Richardson's words are tasteless. Not to mention totally idiotic. But, sadly, not surprising.

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• Larry Birkhead has passed the test. The DNA test, that is, meaning he's officially Dannielynn Smith's baby daddy. His trouble's aren't over, though: Anna Nicole's mama may contest custody. Hasn't this child been through enough?

• Kabaddi: the gayest non-gay sport ever. Well, only for Westerners.

• Gays and anti-gays converge at Oregon's House to fight for gay marriage and against gay marriage, respectively.

• Girls Transsexual Twins on film!

• Gays are taking over straight bars! Social experiment or end of the world? You be the judge. No seriously, ABC literally has a poll: "Should Gay Patrons Go To Straight Bars?" Tomorrow: "Should blacks and whites drink from the same water fountain?"

• First Elizabeth Hurley and new hubby Arun Nayar get disowned by his grumpy parents, now they may face jail time? Some honeymoon...

• Free oxygen's for chumps. You should totally start spending your hard earned dough on bottled oxygen. Now that's fresh.

Gay Oregonians have something to celebrate today. Lawmakers are currently mulling two bills that would guarantee them the basic rights afforded other citizens. One bill hopes to ban gay discrimination in the work place, while the other will extend certain rights to same-sex couples.

Of course, this isn't some willy-nilly gay nup law: couples will have to fit certain stipulations. The Washington Blade reports:

The bill includes a requirement that couples who enter into civil unions live in Oregon for a certain amount of time, and would allow a same-sex couple to enter a civil union via a contract, instead of needing a clergy member or judge to make it official.

Hmmm, that sounds convenient. Well, except for the living in Oregon bit. Yeah, it's pretty and all that, but we've never wanted to marry someone that badly.

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• Those kids over at Best Week Ever have the biggest hard-on for Pope Benedict XVI's alleged boyfriend, Monsignor Georg Gänswein. And when we say "the biggest", we mean it would choke even the biggest pig bottom. Yeah, that's big. [BWE]

• Reviving an old debate, a Democratic Oregonian Governor-elect Ted Kulongoski-endorsed task force has recommended the state allow civil unions. Haha, Republicans, try to veto that shit now, motherfuckers. [365 Gay]

• Barbara Walters remains diplomatic on the Rosie O'Donnell/Donald Trump throw-down. A wise woman, that Babs. A wise woman, indeed... [Star]

• Even the judicial system think's Anna Nicole Smith's a lying slag - she's been ordered to allow a paternity to test to determine if "hubbie" Howard Stern or ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead can call themselves the proud father. [Detroit Free Press]

• New Yorkers already know that terrorists could blow-up the train system. We really didn't need a reminder. [CBS]

• Mitt Romney's one step closer to announcing his candidacy for president. Kind of shitty news for this festive holiday, but it's not always pretty. And neither's the prospect of that scum bag running our country. Good thing he doesn't seem to have much of a chance. [Forbes]

Ladies and Germs, we've got a very special guest in the house for this week's Queerty Rebuttal. He's the most controversial figure in the history of man! He can smite you with a flit of his wrist! He bypassed all the evolutionary garbage and created the sun, moon and all of human civilization. The one, the omnicient: God!

(Applaud or be damned.)

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We've already received a number of emails and comments on our post on Martina Navartilova's work with PETA to protest Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University's investigation into so-called "gay" or "male-oriented" sheep.

Some readers contend that PETA's twisting the facts to suit their mission, insisting that the program's aimed more at helping sheep breeders ween out the "homo" rams for breeding purposes. A reader named Seamus cites an Associated Press article:

The study began in 1995, when researchers at the federal Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, noticed that some rams refused to mate with female sheep. Of these animals, some showed no interest in males or females, and a few preferred other rams.

A refusal to breed can spell disaster in the sheep production industry.

Stormshak said a key goal is to find a biological test to determine ovine sexual orientation, so breeders can make informed purchases of stud rams.

Another reader led us to this blog posting from September on the subject. If you head on over, you'll find researcher Dr. Charles Roselli's explanation that the program's not nefarious at all. Rather, it's hoping to shed light on more complex physio-sexual mysteries:

Moreover, sexual behavior and sexual partner preference play a fundamental role in reproduction and psychosexual development. There are serious medical conditions that are the result of variations in sexual development, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia and androgen insensitivity syndrome. These conditions may lead to problems of sexual function, social and psychosexual adjustment, mental health, quality of life and social participation. Understanding variations in psychosexual development that may affect these individuals requires reference to studies in non-human species that show marked but complex effects of androgens on sex differentiation of the brain and on behavior. A greater understanding of the biological underpinnings of partner preference may greatly assist in providing affected individuals with the medical services and support that they may desire.

Hmmm, intriguing. We're all about medical advancements, but we still must admit that we're skeptical about the entire thing.

Sure, reader contentions that PETA's exaggerating the issue may hold some water, it still seems that no matter how much good comes from Roselli's research, some more sinister folk may use the information for evil.

It's really up to you, reader, to draw your own conclusions...

(Shout-out to PageOneQ for this swell picture of a "gay" sheep.)

We've just received a press release informing us that Lezzie tennis star Martina Navaratilova's (pictured, looking quite fetching) protesting a tax-funded research program in Oregon aimed at turning so-called "male-oriented" (read: fag) rams straight.

Apparently, scientists at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University are on a two-year track through which they hope to locate, modify, and eventually destroy "gay hormones" in the furry creatures. In response, Navaratilova's written the presidents of both universities:

How can it be that, in the year 2006, a major university would host such homophobic and cruel experiments? ... I respectfully ask that you pull the plug on this appalling and misguided research. Surely you can find a way to redirect the millions of public tax dollars that are being wasted on these experiments to a more fruitful venture—perhaps by funding a gay and lesbian community center to foster dialogue and acceptance for people of all sexual preferences?

What we don't understand is how the scientists identify these allegedly homo sheeps. Is there some sort of sheepie gaydar technology of which we are unaware? Do these sissy sheeps go cruising in the local park? Maybe there's some sort of barnyard homo-hop.

Regardless, it's gross. While we're not so keen on animal testing, we're far more disturbed by science's obsession with getting to the bottom of the gay mystery. Sure, it would be interesting to know why people are gay (which would finally put an end to the storied essentialist v. constructionist debate), but any essentialist finding - that is, evidence that critters people are born gay - would no doubt be used for some sort of horrific gay holocaust. And not just of the poor sheepies...

We've pasted the entire release and Navratilova's letter after the jump, including the address and fax number of Oregon State University's President, Ed Ray.

As with our coverage of Garden Guy, Inc. and their homo-hating ways, we urge you to use the information in any way you see fit.

(Update: The PETA rep who sent us the press release wants us to mention that Navratilova wrote the letter on their behalf. So: Navratilova wrote the letter on PETA's behalf.)

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• In Saudi Arabia, twenty men were arrested during a purported gay wedding, which had 400 men in attendance. Homosexuality is illegal there and punishments are determined under Islamic law. [IOL]

• Call them "mutant" (and damn fortunate) HIV patients: As many as one in every 300 people infected with HIV will never see the worst effects from it. Doctors want to go after these "elite" examples of HIV infections, which never lead to AIDS, but such lucky individuals often don't want the attention. [Reuters]

• In Georgia, Georgia Tech University repealed protections for gays in its student housing code of conduct to comply with the findings of a lawsuit filed by two students (who were represented by the Christian law firm Alliance Defense Fund). Students will no longer face the threat of punishment for using gay epithets and derrogatory language based on orientation. [Advocate]

• In Britain, a retrial of murdered lesbian Mandy Power finds a one David Morris guilty, which clears suspicion – at least legally – that it was Power's ex-lover Alison Lewis who killed her, her two children, and the children's grandmother. [BBC]

• In Oregon, the longtime leader of the Oregon Christian Coalition and staunch anti-gay advocate, Lou Beres, admits to sexually molesting young girls. [AP]

Though any anti-gay vandalism is unjustifiable, this one from Oregon takes the cake. After an article appeared in the local paper honoring George Soule’s partner David Pennington who died of AIDS, vandals attacked Soule’s Sauvie Island home.

Two vehicles and a sedan were parked in the driveway when Soule returned home, Shults said. Spray paint on one of the pickup's side windows, clearly visible to neighbors, referred to the death of Soule's companion, he said. The vandals, who forced their way into the home, would be subject to burglary, intimidation and criminal mischief charges, Shults said. Investigators are trying to determine whether anything was stolen.[…] "It's an outrage," said neighbor Henry Willener. "George is a nice, kind, gentle person, and whoever did this deserves serious, serious time in jail."

The article doesn’t say what the slurs spray painted on the vehicles were, but we’re assuming the worst. Let’s just hope the local officials charge these idiots with what the crime really is: a hate crime.

Anti-gay slurs left on Sauvie home [Oregonian]