statement

The White House on Tuesday issued the following statement from President Barack Obama on the end of "don't ask, don't tell." Official repeal of the 1993 policy went into effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning. "Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally repealed. As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love. As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary issued the following statement from President Barack Obama regarding the failed vote on the defense authorization bill that included "don't ask, don't tell" repeal and will continue to force lesbian and gay soldiers to serve in the closet. 'I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Armed Services Committee Chairman Levin, and Senators Lieberman and Collins for all the work they have done on this bill. While today’s vote was disappointing, it must not be the end of our efforts. I urge the Senate to revisit these important issues during the lame duck session.'

Wit star Cynthia Nixon’s comments to the New York Times that, for her, being gay was a choice, have set off a firestorm of controversy. Now, Nixon has given an exclusive statement to The Advocate in an attempt to clarify her statements.

Candy Spelling made some slanderous statements against daughter Tori Spelling on a Springfield, Massachusetts radio station, blaming husband Aaron Spelling's death on her estranged daughter.

Natasha Richardson, Tony Award-winning actress, died Wednesday in the Manhattan hospital where she had been flown suffering head injuries resulting from a skiing accident on Monday north of Montreal. Richardson, married to Liam Neeson, was part of the acting dynasty that includes her mother Vanessa Redgrave, her aunt Lynn Redgrave and her sister, Nip / Tuck start Joely Richardson.

HRC and Utah-based gay rights groups plan to call Tuesday on Mormon leader Boyd K. Packer to correct his statements characterizing marriage equality as immoral and claiming that gay people can be “corrected.”

The Miss USA pageant first runner-up, Miss California Carrie Prejean, defends her anti-gay marriage answer about marriage being between a man and a woman, and also prays for Perez Hilton, the Miss USA judge who posed the question.

While Showtime’s The Real L Word’s premiere season often leaned toward heavy drama and storylines for the prurient, it also told the story of the more grounded, committed couple Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein, taking viewers through their journey of planning their Oct. 2010, Malibu wedding. the new season of the show will follow Whitney Mixter -- whose infamous on-screen love scenes were the subject of much post-show discussion – and her band of, often unchained, LA girl friends. Expect more on-screen lesbian sex.

Uh Huh Her band mates and girlfriends Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey lit the blogosphere, and subsequently mainstream news outlets, on fire Monday when they began Tweeting that they were discriminated against on a Southwest flight for kissing, and then kicked off the plane for complaining about the discrimination.