We’re not sure if we believe this, but it seems lesbians put more items on their wedding gift registries than gay men. We always assumed it would be the fags that would be the ones who, blinded by a registry gun and a Crate and Barrel catalog, would OD on wedding day swag. Guess, you ladies are closet shop-o-holics.

John Lewis noticed that 'Mr Listers' - same-sex male couples - requested fewer gifts on their lists with an average of 25 presents.

But their female 'Mrs Lister' counterparts opted for a 'scattergun' approach, requesting an average of 83 presents for family and friends to choose from.

Domestic-minded 'Mr Listers' wanted white crockery, serving spoons, Le Creuset cookware and pillowcases for the marital home

Lesbians have a more light-hearted approach to their wish lists, although they have registered equally practical items such as heart-shaped oven gloves, toilet brushs and Egyptian bath towel. A fun twist is evident on most 'Mrs Lister' lists with sponge mops, body fat scales and hand-held space invader games popping up frequently.

We’re not even gonna’ comment on that Space Invaders game thing, but we are still shocked by all of this. Maybe all of these department stores have hefty automotive sections, and the increase is accounted for in brake pads, jacks, and tire irons.

Come on! We are only kidding, people!

What Lesbian And Gay Couples Want On Big Day [Life Style Extra]

The Pacific Northwest has always been a little bit more progressive than the rest of the country (remember Kurt Cobain in drag?) and this week was not different. The Legislature, including one Republican, voted to extend massive benefits to the gay community in the Evergreen State.

"History is going to look kindly upon the legislators who had the courage to vote for this," said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, who cried when the bill passed the House. "It's a great day for equality, for fairness."

First introduced in 1977, the measure adds "sexual orientation" to a state law that bans discrimination in housing, employment and insurance, making Washington the 17th state passing a law covering gays and lesbians. It is the seventh to protect transgender people.

The bill still doesn’t address the sticky (sorry, we’re pretty pervy) issue of marriage, and of course the remaining Republicans added some wording to keep the status quo, but this is still a huge victory for our community. As the lone Republican voting for the bill, Sen. Bill Finkbeiner said, “we don’t choose who we love. The heart chooses who we love.” Sounds like he’s seen that gay cowboy movie.

Wash. Legislature Passes Gay Rights Bill [ABC News]

• Before eventually being dismissed by his Christian school, a gay student was told “to not dress in women's clothing, not slap others on the buttocks if he was a member of a sports team, not hug or shake hands with other men for too long, not "broadcast" his lifestyle, and not tell other students he was gay until he knew them well.” Because that’s all gay men do. [The Advocate]

• Jonathan Plummer was looking pretty gay during his appearance on Oprah a few months ago. But his pictorial in Clikque pretty much confirms he’s gone all homo-crazy. [Clikque]

• Mexico City has arrested a serial killer who targeted gays. He has no regrets and says he would kill again. Yeah. Throw away the key, boys. [The Advocate]

• It’s inspiring how quickly a country like Germany can evolve from one of the most dastardly to one of the most progressive. [Yahoo]

• Posting names of those who signed a petition supporting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts seems to have confirmed gay rights supporters' suspicion of fraud. Though Kenny Chesney doesn’t appear to have anything to do with this one. [Bay Windows]

• American Idol might not be so good this season. Paula Abdul seems to be off the meds. [Dot Conor]

• Dan Renzi’s hilarious “brother” is back with another Project Runway recap. [Dan Renzi]

• And you can’t have Dan without having Rich. He’s famous for these posts. [Four Four]

• Gay weddings in Baltimore? Might be sooner than you think. [The Advocate]

• “Q: What’s better than winning a gold medal at the Special Olympics? A: Not being retarded.” We just spit up our coffee. [The FAGAT Guide]

In what it is calling a “pre-emptive step,” the open-minded (ok, maybe not so much) Nigerian government is going in the same direction as some U.S. red states and banning same-sex marriage. Sort of the exact opposite thing that's going on at the Southern end of the continent.

Bitches President Olusegun Obasanjo:

"Such a tendency is clearly un-Biblical, unnatural and definitely un-African," he told a conference of Nigerian bishops in October 2004.

How do we deal with a country that has taken such an anti-gay stance? Call on their celebrity natives for help! So, we're putting a call out to Sade, asking her to speak out against her homeland's position.

We feel like she owes us. After all, we're queer enough to have The Best Of Sade loaded onto our iPods.

Nigeria to outlaw same-sex unions [BBC]
The Best of Sade [Amazon]

• Brokeback Mountain leads the Screen Actor's Guild awards with four nominations. Oscars, here we come. [ABC News]

• Killing two birds with one stone, Andy Towle manages to create clever advertising for Brokeback Mountain and the perfect anti-smoking poster for homos at the same time. [Towleroad]

• Cherokee lesbians have been granted a marriage certificate, making them the first American Indian gays to get hitched in Cherokee Nation. [Reuters]

• An article we linked to last week incorrectly reported that the U.S. does not offer asylum based on sexual orientation. Turns out our country is not that backward after all. [Immigration Equality]

• Four gay men have been arrested in India for "perpetrating homosexual activities." So wrong and so Middle Ages. [News From Russia]

• After reading that Madonna doesn't watch TV, it's a little shocking to hear that she just "loves" MTV's Pimp My Ride Still, we can't wait for her new music video. [Sky Showbiz]

• The more accepted homosexuality becomes in India, the more male hustlers (who only cost about as much as a couple of packs of gum) sprout up all over the country. [DNA India]

• The UK is going to make Special K extra, extra special. It’ll soon be classified as a class C drug. [Reuters UK]

• Concerned Women For America are here to tell us that not only does Barbie give young girls a body image complex but the plastic bitch is responsible for turning kids into trannies. [365 Gay]

• Gay rights lawyers are suing those party poopers who want to put an end to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. [Reuters]

One of our favorite political heroes, out congressman Barney Frank, has been pretty vocal these days. In an interview with the AP he talks gay marriage, his own future ambitions, and rips into who we predict could one day be an even stronger gay foe this year and beyond, Massachusetts governor (and potential 2008 Presidential candidate) Mitt Romney.

Frank said Romney is targeting conservatives who dominate the Republican presidential primary process, trying to become the right-wing alternative to U.S. senator John McCain of Arizona. "Romney sees himself as having the best chance to be an alternative to McCain," Frank said. "He's moved way conservative. That's his strategy." Frank said he was not bothered by Romney's frequent out-of-state trips to test the presidential primary waters. "What hurts the state is his belittling of the state—his caricaturing and stereotyping of the state," he said. "That's damaging."

You go, Barney! Show him who is boss! Too bad this country isn’t ready for a queer in the White House. We’d so vote for Barney Frank in 2008.

Frank denounces groups trying to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts [The Advoacte]

• Seems like Jack and Ennis weren’t the only queers on Brokeback Mountain. About 8% of the sheep were big homos too. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Maybe Santorum was right and that homosexual marriage will lead to people marrying animals. A woman in Israel has married a dolphin. We bet he’s hung. [The Age]

• Bradford is going to be on Sirius Radio’s Derek and Romaine show tonight, we think around 8 or 9. Kim Stolz from America’s Next Top Model will be on too. When we get the exact time, we’ll post it here. [Sirius Radio]

• The AFA is considering their boycott of Ford again. Because it so worked the first time. Not. [Town Hall]

• PinkLegal.co.uk launched the other day and the site offers legal advice for homosexuals entering “civil partnerships, which helps gay couples draw up pre-nuptial agreements and update their wills.” Benjamin Cohen, who became a teenage millionaire during the dotcom boom with his sites SoJewish and JewishNet, publishes the site. [Irish Examiner]

Knowthyneighbor.com is up and running for those of you interested in finding out if you’re aunt, cousin, or your ex-best friend from high school signed a petition who favor a ballot that would ban gay marriage in the Massachusetts. Since part of our staff has roots in Bay State, we searched for people we knew and are glad to say we only recognized two names. Both were old acquaintances who spent more time out of high school than in and dressed really, really poorly to boot.

So which famous people signed the petition? Lots of anti-gay politicians, including Massachusetts’ own governor, Mitt Romney.

Check the site out for yourself. It might teach you a thing or two about people in your life.

Taking names, posting them on-line [In News Weekly]

Know Thy Neighbor [Official Site]

The KKK will soon rally against same-sex marriage in Iowa. They sure do love their rallies.

Klan member Douglas Sadler and Hawkeye State resident has come out to explain the reason for the march, saying he doesn’t “believe God’s law should be perverted any more than it already has been.” Yes, he means us queers.

So how does one get closer to God? Well, first you start with an old-fashioned cross burning.

We take green lumber that won’t burn. We wrap it in burlap, soak it in kerosene and light it. It’s a religious ceremony, a cleansing of souls, a repenting of sins,” said Sadler.

Call us crazy, but we think there might be a far less dramatic way to repent your sins.

North Iowa Klansman focuses his ire on gays [Globe Gazette]

• While Elton and David honeymoon in Venice, World of Wonder has some great photos of the wedding guests. Yes, dear, everyday is Halloween. And who is that drag queen? And, no, we’re not talking about Kelly. [WOW Report]

• Cyndi Lauper is headed for Broadway and set to star in The Threepenny Opera, the play about thieves and prostitutes. It’s our kind of show. [Yahoo News]

• Josh Rubin has hand selected Cool Hunting’s top posts of the year, which we imagine was a very hard thing to do. [Cool Hunting]

• Proof that Leandro Becker is our favorite DJ. Who cares that we’ve never heard him spin. [Made In Brazil]

• Michael Musto’s Felix Awards are the only 2005 round up you need to read. Forget the others and go now. [Village Voice]

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 »

• Abercrombie music? Yes. And there is a message board devoted entirely to Moose Jams. Yes, we wrote Moose Jams. We’d make more fun of it if we did not love the play lists so much. [Arjan Writes]

• In even more ridiculous music news, you can now purchase Madonna wine. Seriously, we’re not making this up. [New Music Express]

• “I’ve been to the hardest gay clubs in the world, and the drugs at this were way more hardcore than any of them.” Popbitch has a few blind items from Elton John’s bachelor party. And that quote had to have been from Donatella Versace. [Pop Bitch]

• “Out of respect for their (our parents') support, we want to just keep it small — not to make a ballyhoo of the ceremony,” Elton said of their 2 million dollar wedding held yesterday making him the most famous married gay. [CNN]

• The favorite to win Germany’s Pop Idol wants a penis. She plans to use the money to get a sex change if she wins. [Ananova]

• Boy George and Anna Nicole Smith are teaming up on a reality show. Makes us we wish we lived in the UK so we can watch what will surely be a coked-up train wreck. [Hello Magazine]

• Latvia has banned same-sex marriage. How do you say "straights only" in Latvian? [Reuters]

• Senator Chris Buttars wants to ban gay-straight alliance clubs in high school. Says the man with the unfortunate surname: "In my mind, if you are in the chess club, what do you talk about? Chess. If you are in the dance club, what do you talk about? Dance. If you are in a gay club, what do you talk about?” Why, fashion of course! [Desert News]

• Jamie Bell, who played a ballerina in Billy Elliot and used to live with the film's much older director, can't possibly understand why people think he might be gay. [Hollywood.com]

• George Michael will be at Elton John’s wedding next week, but not as a hired wedding singer like we had hoped. [Sydney Morning Herald]