The Catholic Church flexed its anti-trans muscle this week when it banned trans politico Vladimir Luxuria from being a bridesmaid at her cousin's wedding:

[Luxuria] said she had been asked by her cousin to be the bridesmaid at her Catholic wedding, to be held at an ancient sanctuary in Foggia, southern Italy.

But Father Francesco, the sanctuary's pastor, told Reuters the request was rejected because Luxuria, a former drag queen and defender of gay rights, "does not believe in family values, even from a political point of view".

"His personal choices are another matter, I have already explained this to him," the priest said by phone on Wednesday.

Luxuria's Communist Refoundation party called the ban "illegal and racist".

Well, it's not exactly racist, but it's just as discriminatory. And evil. Or, as Luxuria's party says, "Once again, the Church shows its discriminatory and fundamentalist face."

Transgender MP Vladimir Luxuria led approximately 100,000 men, women and trans folk through Rome this weekend to celebrate gay pride.

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• Even though the gays can marry in Canada, they will not be recognized on this year's census. Rather than "husband" or "wife," they'll have to settle for "other." We think that is great, since it sums up the feelings we've had since adolescence. [http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/05/050406canada.htm]

• Fabulous 72-year-old drag performer Dame Edna punched a photographer this week for getting a little too close to her flawless face. [Digital Spy]

• California is one step closer to outing all the gayest figures in history by requiring recognition of LGBT achievements in textbooks statewide. The bill in question has been approved by committee and is heading to the state Senate. [SFGate]

• Vladimir Luxuria, Italy's new transgender Member of Parliament, is fighting for the right to use the ladies' room after another MP suggested that a special "trannies only" restroom be created. [Reuters]

Trannies unite! Italy has elected its first transgenered MP (Member of Parliament), Vladimir Luxuria, in a landslide victory that has been predicted for several months. Luxuria originally rose to noteriety as a nightclub performer and organizer of Italy's gay pride parades, but has left the glamourous life behind to pursue politics.

We are absolutely ecstatic over Ms. Luxuria's win, and can't wait to see what she has in store. She's already vowed to push for equal gay marriage rights for Italian gay couples, although we can't imagine her convincing The Vatican to turn a blind eye on that one. The newly-elected Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, is promising a civil-unions type of partnership law, which will most likely pass. But Luxuria will certainly make the process more interesting.

We encourage the drag queen/transvestite/transsexual community of the United States to consider an increase in the political spectrum, although perhaps not follow entirely in Luxuria's footsteps: she ran on the Communist party ticket.

Italy Elects Eurpoe's First Transgendered MP [PinkNews]
Drag Queen A Serious Politician [MSNBC]