Free Republic

Schools will be encouraged to hold lessons exploring the achievements of gay men and women throughout history as part of the first gay history month. The project, to be held in February, will highlight the hidden history of household names who would probably today identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, such as William Shakespeare, who was rumoured to be bisexual, and Florence Nightingale, who few people know was a lesbian. Other events covered during the month will include talks on the early years of gays and lesbians in British television and discussions of the history of the British LGBT...

The Royal Air Force is to become the first of the Armed Forces to take part in a gay pride festival. Eight officers from the force will man a float at Manchester's gay pride event this weekend. The RAF says it is part of a recruitment drive to show how the military welcomes people from different backgrounds. A spokesman said: "Along with the other Armed Forces, the RAF tries to reflect the community from which it draws it members. "We have recruitment policies that recognise that people from different backgrounds can make positive contributions. An individual's sexual orientation is none...

Get Behind Celebrating Anal Sex Month SAN FRANCISCO (Wireless Flash) -- Here's a holiday we can all get behind: August is "National Anal Sex Month." For the last three years, the Good Vibrations sex toy shop in San Francisco has celebrated August as "Anal Sex month" because, as spokeswoman Niki Khanna says, "the month has a lot of A's." Khanna believes having a whole month dedicated to anal sex means people aren't as touchy about the subject as in years past. However, she says the big challenge is convincing people that the activity doesn't "...have to involve penetration. Some people...

Despite being kicked out of last year's inaugural event, Christian activists plan to protest today's "Gay Community Day" hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. Monday's game in Philadelphia against the Colorado Rockies will feature the Phillies' twelve-game winner Eric Roberts on the mound. It will also feature special recognition of members of the local "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered" (LBGT) community. The second annual "Gay Community day" at the Phillies' stadium is being promoted by the Gay & Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP) and the Philadelphia chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). Before...

The world's first-ever transsexual beauty pageant made a splash in Las Vegas last weekend at the Riviera Hotel and Casino -- and ET was there! "They're going to get glamour, glitz and the classiest, most beautiful women in the world," pageant host JAHNA STEELE told our own JANN CARL before the event. "The hook, if you will, is that they are all transsexual." The 35 contestants of "The World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Contest" had to show proof of their original gender to qualify. The winner ultimately received $5,000 and a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands! "People will see beautiful...