Michelle Obama received loads of praise last month when, at an event for gay Democrats, the potential first lady said, "We are all only here because of those who marched and bled and died, from Selma to Stonewall, in the pursuit of a more perfect union."

The "Selma" of which Mrs. Obama spoke refers to a 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, when police beat back civil rights activists trying to march to Montgomery as a protest to a black teenager's shooting. The event immediately became known as Bloody Sunday. The "Stonewall" of which Mrs Obama spoke, of course, refers to the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, widely seen as the launch of the contemporary gay rights movement. With that geographical reference, Obama sought to - and succeeded in - linking the civil and gay rights movements. The crowd - and the press - went wild, but not everyone agrees with Obama's optimism.

Racism and homophobia, some believe, are so completely and utterly different that drawing a comparison between the two amounts to a mortal political sin. That’s a perfectly reasonable argument. Race and sexuality have exceedingly divergent histories in the United States, and thus result in entirely different emotional experiences. White people can't understand anti-black sentiment anymore than straight people can comprehend homophobia.

Black, gay people have felt both, of course, which puts the National Black Justice Coalition in a precarious position.

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Leah Daughtry sure knows how to put on a show.

The DNC Chief of Staff last week addressed the National Black Justice Coalition and promised to gives gays more say in the party's politics. And you can be sure she used to opportunity to praise the party's chairman, the woefully forgetful Howard Dean:

We made a commitment under Gov. Dean’s leadership that we wanted to do something different. We wanted to make sure, make a way so that people from various communities, and particularly the GLBT community, would have a seat at the table, would have a voice, would have a vote when we nominate our president of the United States.

Daughtry went on to say that she and her peers are going to fight tooth and nail for diversity. Unfortunately Daughtry keeps her gay inclusion on her terms.

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Get out your calendars and mark off the end of April, because the National Black Justice Coalition has plans for you: "The Power of Us Conference!" You've heard the legends, but this is the real deal! Or, as the NBJC describes it "a nationwide gathering of Black LGBT, their families, Straight Allies and Supporters." The capitalization really stresses the unity, don't you think?

The massive event, held in Baltimore on April 24-26, includes anything in the world you could ever imagine: religious training, financial literacy workshops and chats about health, all of which are essential to a good time. If you're not down with wellness, maybe you'd like the salute to Black LGBT public officials? Or, to satisfy the world's insatiable appetite for reality television stars, there's Marcellas Reynolds of Survivor and Tyra fame! It's going to be fabulous.

New New York Governor David Paterson probably can't see straight right now. Well, actually, he barely see at all.

If he could, however, we're sure Paterson would be blown away by the outpouring of gay support. It's been a mere few hours since Paterson ascended and a number of New York's lavender leaders are extending their hopeful congratulations.

H. Alexander Robinson of the National Black Justice Coalition lauded Paterson's sudden rise:

David Paterson is known across Albany as a consensus builder and is highly respected on both sides of the aisle. He has also demonstrated his commitment to full equality for all Americans.

NBJC looks forward to working with Governor Patterson on a myriad of issues affecting our New York State constituents.

Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda also highlighted Paterson's fight for equality, particularly Paterson's pro-gay Senatorial past.

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The National Black Justice Coalition's oh-so-proud to announce its new video series exploring the ins and, more importantly, out being black and gay. The Coalition, which dedicates itself to fighting for the good gay, black fight, will bring a new installment every month to insure gays, straights and everyone in-between get the low down on everything from down low brother to homophobia in black churches.

If you're at all interested in such matters, you should definitely check it out. If not, well, then you should really check it out.

• It took George Clooney 29-years to get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. The Harry Potter kids, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and the absolutely stunning Emma Watson? Six years. That's gotta sting.

• Ugandan gay activists demand that anti-gay Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo turn over his "death threats". Or else…

• The Anglican soap opera continues. The General Synod has backed a "covenant" dedicated to wrangling in gays and their liberal allies. Openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson may soon be an endangered species.

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