Free Republic

The Milwaukee Public School System will expand the services provided by its gay-friendly high school and apparently become the nation's first school system to create a gay-friendly middle school. At a meeting two weeks ago, a subcommittee of Milwaukee's Board of Education unanimously approved the Alliance School's proposal to serve sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. The proposal gained unanimous approval from the full board by default when the item was not pulled for further discussion or a vote at last night's meeting. Alliance School lead teacher Tina Owen said the public charter school will begin accepting new applicants eligible for...

This Wednesday is the day when all gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and straight allies are encouraged to participate in a strike against the passing of Proposition 8 and the losses that the gay movement worldwide are experiencing. On this day, participating involves calling out of work as "gay"(or as a gay ally), and using the time off to volunteer. It also involves eliminating yourself from the economy by keeping your computers (and the like) off, not making any purchases, and shutting down your company if you run one. For those of us who can't afford to miss school or work,...

Roman Catholic priests have been banned from using 'heterosexist' language in their churches in case they offend gay worshippers. They have been told by their bishops not to assume that every churchgoer is a heterosexual and to reflect this 'in language and conversation'. 'Remember that homophobic jokes and asides can be cruel and hurtful - a careless word can mean another experience of rejection and pain,' say the bishops in a leaflet advising priests and worshippers how to be more welcoming to gay people. Priests are also encouraged to put up posters advertising 'support services' for homosexuals, a move bound...

In a letter addressed to "Dear Community," a high-powered coalition of gay-rights leaders is calling for an end to the scapegoating of African Americans for the passage of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in California. Nine painful, anger-filled and vitriolic days passed before this request for calm appeared, and although the letter is sensible and encouraging, words alone will not undo the damage. Since an election-day exit poll found that 70% of black voters supported Proposition 8, tensions between gays and blacks have exploded on the airwaves, in newspaper columns and on the Internet. The letter, however, notes that...

BEFORE Election Day, national media hand wringers forged a wildly popular narrative: The right was, in the words of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, gripped by "insane rage." Outbreaks of incivility (some real, but mostly imagined) were proof positive of the extremist takeover of the Republican Party. The cluck-cluckers and tut-tutters shook with fear. But when the GOP took a beating on Nov. 4, no mass protests ensued; no nationwide boycotts erupted. Conservatives took their lumps and began the peaceful post-defeat process of self-flagellation, self-analysis and self-autopsy. In fact, in the wake of campaign 2008 there's only one angry...

Two Neuqua Valley High School students won’t be able to wear T-shirts saying “Be Happy, Not Gay,” to school tomorrow following a judge’s ruling. U.S. District Judge William T. Hart ruled in favor of the high school yesterday on a preliminary injunction that would have allowed the students to wear the shirts the day after today’s National Day of Silence. On the Day of Silence, students can refrain from speaking as an effort to protest discrimination against homosexuals. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund is representing Heidi Zamecnik of Naperville and Alexander Nuxoll of Bolingbrook in a lawsuit that claims Zamecnik’s...

In the final stretch before Election Day, embattled Republicans feel as though they have received a gift from an unlikely donor: advocates of gay marriage. They think that last week’s ruling by New Jersey’s Supreme Court ordering equal rights for gay couples — seven of whom had sued for the right to marry — is re-energizing Christian conservatives, who had been losing interest in politics. Republicans predict that could draw more conservatives to the polls next week, especially in the eight states that will vote on proposed amendments to their state constitutions to ban gay marriage. Among the eight states...

He is blessed with dazzling good looks and starred in one of the most successful sitcoms on television. But when you've spent almost a decade playing the most famous gay man in America, it's not easy to branch out to pastures new, as Eric McCormack is finding out. McCormack, who played Manhattan lawyer Will Truman in the hugely popular Will and Grace, would like to move in to films and as an Emmy-award winning actor, with perfect comic timing, undoubtedly has the ability to do so. But no one will hire him. 'I have this big pink cross to bear,'...

Groundbreaking reality make-over show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has been cancelled after three seasons--but the stars of the show insist they are still a huge hit with celebrities. The show features five gay men who make-over unstylish straight men each week on the Bravo network, and since hitting the screen the camp stylists have been asked to revamp the homes of stars including Jennifer Lopez. Queer Eye member Jai Rodriguez says the show won't be returning for another season, explaining, "Well, we haven't been asked back for 2007. "It's only been three years, but it feels like so...

They told the world that their relationship was like any other and that's why they should be allowed to marry. Now, friends say, they are showing once again that they are just like any other couple: Two years after getting married, Julie and Hillary Goodridge, lead plaintiffs in the state's landmark gay marriage case, are splitting. Mary Breslauer, a spokeswoman for the couple, confirmed the separation last night. She said the couple are focused now on trying to do what is best for their daughter, Annie, 10. ``Julie and Hillary Goodridge are amicably living apart," Breslauer said in a telephone...

The Greater Victoria School District's "That's So Gay" campaign launch this May was just the beginning, promises school trustee Charley Beresford. "It's not a short-term campaign. It will be going on for some time," she says. Next month, the district's queer advisory committee will send packages out to school principals reminding them about the campaign and offering suggestions on how to make their schools friendlier for queer and questioning students come September. For Beresford, the campaign was a natural next step after her district introduced its groundbreaking anti-homophobia policy in 2004. "I felt like we were not getting far enough...

Few will know this genetic truth, because the 5-year-old's parents and school administrators have agreed that it's in his best interest to blend in as a female. Mental health professionals have diagnosed Pat - not his real name - with gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person believes that he or she is the opposite gender. After two years of examination, they have determined that he is not simply effeminate or going through a phase. "Gender dysphoria can take place during a fetus' development in the womb," said noted gender specialist and sexologist Marilyn Volker, Ph.D., of Miami. While...

A new Canadian study suggests a male's sexual orientation is influenced by so-called nature as opposed to nurture. Researchers at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., found evidence that the more biological older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be homosexual, findings which suggest a man's sexual orientation is genetically determined. The study says "prenatal mechanism (s) ... affect men's sexual orientation development," which means sexual orientation may be the result of biological processes that occur in the womb. The study's author, Prof. Anthony F. Bogaert, explored the causes behind what is called the fraternal birth...

Disgraced former Garden State Gov. Jim McGreevey's new home is just down the road from his estranged wife's place - but in terms of amenities, it's a world away. The famously gay pol is slated to close this week on his three-story, 1914 Georgian estate in Plainfield - 10 miles down Route 22 from Dina Matos McGreevey's single-story, 1954 ranch in Springfield. McGreevey and his wealthy investment-adviser boyfriend, Mark O'Donnell, paid about $1.3 million for the ivy-covered home in Plainfield's historic district, sources told The Post. Meanwhile, Dina McGreevey paid $430,000 for her red-brick tract house in 2005, shortly after...

The following statement was issued June 21 by the Communist Party USA and Young Communist League in honor of Pride Month. The month of June has been designated as Pride Month in celebration of the struggles and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States. This coming weekend marks the anniversary of the uprising that occurred at the Stonewall Inn on June 27, 1969, in New York City. The uprising, in response to bar raids and attacks by the police, was led by working-class gay and transgender people, many of whom were Black or Latino, and...

An Austrian couple with 12 children have split up - after the husband admitted he was gay. Mum Alina Look dumped husband Hannes after his shock revelation. Hannes had announced that he was leaving the family home at Graz for another man. Hannes told Alina he only made her pregnant so she had "something to do". Alina said: "I received a phone call from a friend who told me she had seen Hannes with another person, she said they had been kissing and cuddling. "I didn't believe her when she told me the other person was a man, but when...