don't ask don't tell

(By now, you've all heard that President Obama and his Department of Justice have agreed with us that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and they will no longer defend it in court. This is a BIG breakthrough for our movement, but it broke too late to be included in THIS week's Gay USA with Ann and Corey. Ann and Andy will provide a thorough analysis on NEXT week's show.) After we taped this show, California's Supreme Court agrees to decide whether the authors of Proposition 8 have standing to appeal in federal court. A Senate committee in Maryland passes a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The House in Indiana passes a state constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage. The Wyoming Senate votes to bar recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages and civil unions. Marine Commandant Gen. Amos further softens his stance on Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal. We'll show you a depressing video report from Al Jazeera English on "corrective rapes" of South African lesbians. Belarus gives permission for a pride march, but the new Moscow Mayor promises to ban one. A prominent Chinese AIDS activist is sentenced to a year in prison. In the U.S., the drastic budget cuts proposed by House Republicans include slashes in AIDS funding. Ann delivers a couple of theater reviews by Andy. And we look forward to this Sunday's Oscars.

It's crunch time on Senate repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Protests against it mount, opponents to repeal like John McCain dig in, and rifts among advocates emerge. You can keep up with the campaign at www.sldn.org and with actions agitating for repeal at www.getequal.org. Fred Goldhaber, the founding teacher of the Harvey Milk High School, dies at 63.  The 2010 elections leave no openly LGBT Republicans serving in state legislatures and a pro-gay conservative Congressman from Louisiana blames the religious right for his defeat. Illinois may vote on civil unions.  There is a way for same-sex couples to marry legally in states where they cannot obtain licenses. To see how go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lKcNe3pnaI. Italian art historian finds lots of homoerotic images in Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel. Will the new cell phone urine test for STIs also test for HIV? A bunch of new theatrical productions to tell you about including Lisa Kron's "In the Wake," "The Nanjing Race," Al Pacino in "The Merchant of Venice," Michael Shannon in "Mistakes Were Made," and Pee-Wee Herman and Colin Quinn on Broadway.

President Obama's go-slow approach to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discrimination in the military has left repeal on life support in a lame-duck session of Congress. Well thanks for nothing, Mr. President. But it's not just him. How about our justice strategy? As we mark another Veterans -- or Armistice - Day, with LGBT vets shut up and shut out, it's time we called an Armistice on making nice to our military. Distributed by Tubemogul.

Virginia Philips, the federal judge who overturned the ban on open service by gays and lesbians in the military, issued a worldwide injunction against enforcement of the ban on Tuesday. No word as of the moment whether that injunction will be appealed by the Obama administration. Three gay men were brutally tortured by a gang in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx, New York. Ten suspects have been arrested. Police seem to have missed opportunities to go after the gang when complaints were coming in from parents about their kids being robbed and attacked by members of the gang. In response to gay teen suicides and assaults on gay men in Chelsea and inside the Stonewall, Queer Rising had a mass "die-in" was held at rush hour in Grand Central Terminal last week and a take-back-the-night march was held on Saturday night from Chelsea to the Village. A QUEER RISING LOVE-IN is set for Friday, Oct. 15 at 6 PM at 47th St. and Broadway. Carl Paladino outdid himself this past week, telling Jewish leaders that his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, was an unfit parent for taking his daughters to the LGBT Pride march and that homosexuality was "not a viable option" for young people. Even Republicans are condemning his remarks and he is sinking in the polls. And much more.