From the AP:

A US district judge from Riverside, California, Virginia A. Phillips, wrote in an 86-page opinion late Thursday night that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" violates both the Fifth and First Amendments.

A federal judge in Southern California has declared the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips on Thursday granted a request for an injunction halting the government's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military.

Phillips says the policy doesn't help military readiness and instead has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed services.

The lawsuit was the biggest legal test of the law in recent years and came amid promises by President Barack Obama that he will work to repeal the policy.

Government lawyers argued Phillips lacked the authority to issue a nationwide injunction and the issue should be decided by Congress.

The injunction was sought by the Log Cabin Republicans, a 19,000-member group that includes current and former military members.

The Judge's full ruling after the jump...
Continue reading "Federal Judge Rules "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Unconstitutional"

On October 10, 2010, thousands of people all over the world will create a single video collage over a 24-hour period showing life on Earth through different viewpoints. The "One Day on Earth" project consists of participants from 190 countries from every walk of life, including teenagers with phone cameras, Academy-Award nominated documentarians, and even people from the poorest countries receiving assistance from the United Nations Development Programe (UNDP).

In fact, the UNDP is taking a very active role in this project, from providing logistical support at local and regional levels, collecting video from areas plagued by low-Internet bandwidth, as well as letting their own staff film current projects from countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Rwanda, Sudan, and Uruguay. The UNDP states that, "The results of this unique collage documenting the countless stories of triumph, tragedy, hope, and fear that take place each and every day, will be made into a feature-length documentary to be released next year. In addition, all the footage shot as part of the project will be publicly available via an innovative online searchable archive. The scope and range of this material will provide an invaluable resource: a database of films that deal with some of the most important issues facing our global community."

The UNDP's involvement in "One Day on Earth" comes as a part of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which sets a deadline for improving the world in the areas of poverty, hunger, women's rights, education, healthcare, clean water, and sanitation by 2015. The project will also provide free school toolkits on digital media, benefiting over 450,000 students in 64 countries. Other contributing associations include UNICEF, the UN Department for Public Information, and the UN Academic Impact Program. Click here to see how you can participate.
—Jonathan Liem

Watch the event trailer after the jump...

Continue reading "Celebrate "One Day on Earth""

Today, the 20th annual Southern Comfort Conference kicks off in Atlanta. The conference brings together transgender people, friends, families, and supporters for a weekend of seminars, testimonies, support, and encouragement. In addition, the calendar is packed with social events ranging from cocktail parties, live performances, dancing, casino nights, and even a health fair. With over 900 attendees expected this weekend, it is the largest such gathering in the nation.

Each year, special speakers lead seminars and share their stories. Last year, Vandy Beth Glenn shared her story with the US Congress about how she was fired from the Georgia General Assembly for being gay. Some of the conference's better-known guests include Chaz Bono and author Jennifer Finney Boylan. The hotel for this memorable event is the Atlanta Perimeter At Ravinia.

The conference plays a major part in the 2001 documentary Southern Comfort, about the life and death of Robert Eads. Eads' goal in 1998 was to live long enough to attend the conference. He succeeded, and made a speech at the conference, which is featured in the documentary. Today, the Robert Eads Health Project offers health exams to attendees. The conference commitee also organizes financial sponsorships to enable as many people to attend as possible. Fore more information, please visit the official website here.

Anyone that lives in a city where they have to use a subway knows the uncomfortable heat below ground. When the older metro stations were built, ventilation wasn't exactly on the developers' minds, so all those sweaty people generating heat gets trapped in the tunnels. Paris may have found an interesting solution for one of their steamy systems. By using the heat generated at Rambuteau Métro station developers hope to heat a nearby, low-income block of housing. Sounds like a terrific idea.

"It's a huge source of free, zero-carbon heat so it couldn't make more sense," said Dr Patrick James, a researcher at the University of Southampton's School of Civil Engineering and the Environment. "I guess the only problem will be if there's a train strike in the winter, in which case they'll need a back-up source of heat."

This idea has taken off in other parts of the globe. Because of a law in the UK that states that all new residential buildings need to be zero carbon by 2016, many are thinking of new and creative ways to heat buildings. [Guardian]

Last night marked the opening of ACT UP NEW YORK: Activism, Art, and the AIDS Crisis at the White Columns art space in the West Village. The new exhibit follows the history of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) throughout the AIDS activism movement of the 80s and 90s. The show features graphic and visual media work by art collectives associated with the coalition, including Gran Fury, Silence = Death Project, Gang, DIVA TV, and fierce pussy. Also included is the premiere of the ACT UP Oral History Project, a collection of video interviews with ACT UP’s surviving members. The show, which runs through October 23rd, provides rare insight into an important period of the gay rights movement and shouldn’t be missed. White Columns is located at 320 West 13th Street, with an entrance on Horatio Street, and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 12-6 P.M.

Check out the video after the jump...

Continue reading "ACT UP Exhibit Opens in New York"

The IGLTA has officially opened up registration for the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association's 28th Annual Global Convention. This year, all the panel discussion, seminars, galas, awards, and parties will take place conveniently where the IGLTA headquarter is...in Fort Lauderdale. The title of the conference "Fort Lauderdale Unleashed" sounds more like a circuit party than a conference, but the events from May 10-15, 2011, promise to hold unleash tons of information about the special place LGBT people have in the travel market. This year, there will also be a special focus on using social media, internet marketing, and new travel technology trends to help travel businesses reach consumers more effectively.

If you're planning on attending, it is better to book your airfare and hotel early. Last year, prices skyrocketed for both around three months before the convention. To register, click here.

The adorable Rich Cronin of LFO fame passed away yesterday after a long battle with Leukemia at the young age of 35. The group's best known song, and half of this office's 1999 summer anthem, "Summer Girls" dominated the charts. The song was such a part of the boy-band era that it spun numerous parodies. In 2005, Cronin was diagnosed with Leukemia. After going through chemo, he was in remission and began the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia. After being readmitted to the hospital, he suffered a stroke and passed away yesterday afternoon. Lance Bass broke the news and Tweeted, "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died—was a amazing guy. : ("



Another LFO after the jump and Cronin's single after the jump...


Continue reading "LFO Singer Rich Cronin Dead at Age 35"

Fashion's Night Out is the biggest party of every fashionista's favorite season. To celebrate the start of Fashion Week, stores all over New York City will have extended hours, live DJs, cocktails, food, giveaways, and plenty of appearances by world-famous designers, models, and celebrities. The event is a massive celebration of all things fashion, and everyone is encouraged to come out, shop, and have a fabulous time. According to Virginia Smith, fashion market/accessories director for Vogue, "Fashion plays a huge role in the global economy, from designers, manufacturers, and seamstresses to sales representatives, stockroom associates, and store merchandisers. The industry impacts everyone on multiple levels. Fashion's Night Out supports that in a way that makes fashion fun and accessible." This year, more than 1,000 stores around New York City will be participating in the second edition of Fashion's Night Out! All FNO events listed on the site are open to the public.

Highlights to look forward to include:
—Free Gray-Line buses sponsored by Payless to shuttle you around the city.
—The official FNO Collection, with tanks, tees, hoodies, and other items. Forty percent of proceeds go directly to the NYC AIDS Fund.
—The Fashion's Night Out fashion show at Lincoln Center.

To check out participating stores, special deals, and events, visit www.fashionsnightout.com. On Twitter, follow @FNOnyc and tweet your experiences to friends with the hashtag, #FNO. If all that weren't enough, click here for FNO hotel deals or here to find other Fashion's Night Out events in other parts of the U.S. and beyond.


—Jonathan Liem

One of the most influential and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century, Patsy Cline, would have turned 78 today. So, we're going to celebrate the woman who left such a long-lasting mark on the world of music during her short 30 years here on earth. Cline was famous for country music, but she garnered much attention during the 1960s when she crossed overed to mainstream success. Some of her hits include, "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," "She's Got You," "Crazy," and "Sweet Dreams." After releasing some big hits, Cline was involved in a near-fatal car accident. After spending months in rehab, she returned to her touring circuit and found herself in high demand. She became the first female to headline her own show and had many male music stars of the time open up for her. She also became the first woman in country to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall, the first woman to headline the Hollywood Bowl with Johnny Cash, and the first woman in country to headline her own show in Vegas. After her last album, Sentimentally Yours, Cline reportedly began telling her friends that she had a feeling of "impending doom," and she wrote her last wishes on Delta airplane napkins. Months later, Cline died on a plane en route to her home.

After her death, her albums continued to sell, and she has been compared in talent and success to icons like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2002, CMT named her number one on its 40 Greatest Women of Country Music list, and VH1 placed her as number 11 on their list of The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll.

Now, let's take a listen and remember this icon after the jump...

Continue reading "Happy Birthday Patsy Cline!"

Any city can offer tours of museums, historic landmarks, and architecture, but for Anna Haase those attractions are too passé. She wants people to see her city, Berlin, through a new Lens seat. To freshen things up, she created a quirky tour of Berlin’s public facilities. No, it isn’t just several stops at any old potty. Instead, Haase gives guests a historic look at Berlin’s most famous toilets from biblical times to the present day. Visitors get a unique chance to gaze upon 19th-century toilets, step into the Kaiser’s revamped bathroom at Potsdamer Platz Square, and finish the tour with a look at a Japanese bowl that costs more than a small car!

"I thought my colleagues would probably all do tours of parks and churches, but I wanted to break a taboo and explain the history of Berlin's hygiene and toilet culture," Hasse says. "At first people tend to turn their nose up, but then they are generally surprised at the interesting facts that they learn about on the tour," she adds. If you're interested, contact Haase. [AllVoices.com] [WaToday].