Watch:

In the lawsuit, Dean -- an Annandale, Minn.-based Christian minister -- alleges that Maddow defamed Dean when she broadcast a news segment which showcased Dean's anti-gay rants and his ties to political candidates in his home state of Minnesota, most notably GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann.

In a press release distributed during the conference, Dean and his attorney Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch claimed:

Bradlee Dean

Despite the very clear disclaimer by Bradlee Dean on his ministry’s website and elsewhere regarding the false accusation that he was calling for the execution of homosexuals, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and others seized on and accused Dean on her show of supporting the killing of homosexuals, as is the practice in some radical Islamic countries.

This seriously has harmed Dean and the ministry, who pride themselves on respect and love for all people...

The lawsuit ... seeks in excess of $50 million in damages. However, money is not the issue. “This case is filed as a matter of principle,” stated Klayman. “We need more Bradlee Deans in the world and hateful left wing television commentators must be made to respect not only his mission but the law.”

The Maddow broadcast played an audio clip of Dean -- pastor of the “You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International” ministry -- in which he said that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught,” and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians.

Andy Birkey at the Minnesota Independent also reported Dean's statements here; Dean later claimed that Birkey "twisted" his words.

This is not the first time Dean and his ministry have been at the center of controversy.

On May 20, while protesters outside the Minnesota House chamber chanted against a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Dean opened the House session with a prayer that incited outrage from House Democrats, and led to apology from the Republican Speaker after Dean implied that President Barack Obama was not a Christian.

For more reading on Bradlee Dean, Andy Mannix of Minneapolis' City Pages sat down with Dean recently, and has an interesting profile and two-part interview:

Bradlee Dean

Bradlee Dean, who we’ve discussed here before has some deep ties to Republican and Tea Party presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Dean, a heavy metal Christianist rocker and preacher for the "You Can Run But You Can’t Hide Ministry,” has decided to sue MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow for a segment she did on Dean, his anti-gay rants and his ties to political candidates in his home state of Minnesota.

In the segment, Maddow plays a clip from Dean's radio show where he says:

“Muslims are calling for the execution of homosexuals in America ... they themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the American Christians do, because these people are livid about enforcing their laws.

They know homosexuality is an abomination ... If America won’t enforce the laws, then God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that. That’s what you’re seeing today in America.”

Maddow followed that clip by reading a disclaimer that had been posted on Dean’s Ministry’s website claiming:

“We have never and will never call for the execution of homosexuals.”

Check out Maddow’s (August 2010) report here, where she follows with another clip from Dean’s show where he claims that “on average, [gay people] molest 117 people before they’re found out.”

So as a journalist, Maddow fairly reported the bigot’s response. So why is Bradlee Dean suing?

Here’s the statement from Dean and his anti-gay lawyer, Larry Klayman:

Despite the very clear disclaimer by Bradlee Dean on his ministry’s website and elsewhere regarding the false accusation that he was calling for the execution of homosexuals, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and others seized on and accused Dean on her show of supporting the killing of homosexuals, as is the practice in some radical Islamic countries. This seriously has harmed Dean and the ministry, who pride themselves on respect and love for all people...

The lawsuit is filed by attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, in DC Superior Court and seeks in excess of $50 million in damages. However, money is not the issue. “This case is filed as a matter of principle,” stated Klayman. “We need more Bradlee Deans in the world and hateful left wing television commentators must be made to respect not only his mission but the law,” he added.

Here’s Bradlee Dean’s video calling out Rachel Maddow +– please note that he leaves out the part where he referred to the people who executed homosexuals as “more moral” than American Christians.

In addition to Maddow, the suit also names NBC Universal, MSNBC, the Minnesota Independent and reporter Andy Birkey as defendants.

There’s also some excellent reporting over at Mother Jones on this topic. Be sure to check out their whole story.

Not so with Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House, who has a Ph.D in history and a half-sister who is gay, has taken a leading role in opposing equal rights for gays.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Gingrich was a key player in last November’s campaign to oust three supreme court justices in Iowa. The three justices voted to uphold the state constitution’s equal protection clause with regards to same-sex marriages.

Gingrich also found $200,000 in seed money for the effort and one of the campaign organizers told the Times, “It wouldn’t have happened without” Gingrich.

The other irony not lost on the LGBT community, of course, is that Gingrich himself is on his third marriage. He had his wife by his side Thursday when he announced he was creating a website to raise money to “explore” a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

But at least some political observers believe Gingrich is just stoking the presidential bid speculation to keep conservative money flowing into his coffers.

MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow told her viewers this week that “he’s faking it,” nothing that his non-profit group has spent $13.8 million of the $14.5 million it raised in 2010. Maddow said Gingrich isn’t announcing a campaign or an exploratory committee because that would invoke strict campaign funding rules.

But the Christian Science Monitor quoted aides to Gingrich as saying the potential candidate has various business entities that he has to make sure are untangled in any campaign organization. But even the Monitor suggested that “Thursday’s semi-announcement could just be a way of drawing out the media coverage of the possible GOP candidate’s intentions.”

One thing seems clear: If Gingrich does decide to run, same-sex marriage will almost certainly be a front-burner issue in the 2012 presidential primaries.

Maddow

Columnist Howard Kurtz profiled the openly gay MSNBC news anchor, paying close attention to how her sexual orientation impacts her treatment of guests like Lt. Dan Choi, who came out on The Rachel Maddow Show last March, and who was recently called back to duty with his Army National Guard unit.

From the Post:

As one of the few openly gay television anchors, Maddow has kept the spotlight trained on the contentious issue of whether service members known to be homosexual should face discharge proceedings, as Choi did after that interview. But she doesn't view herself as mounting a crusade.

"I was an activist before I went into the media," Maddow says. "It is useful for me to tell my opinion on some things I cover. But I'm not trying to get people to march in the streets or call their congressmen. I don't believe that's my role."

"We don't really treat gay issues differently than other issues," Maddow says. The controversy, she says, is just "a great story."

Maddow, the first openly gay anchor to be hired to host a prime-time news broadcast on U.S. televison, said she accepts that some critics believe she's biased on gay issues, and offers no apologies:

"I can't do the show as a non-gay person. I don't have that option," Maddow told the Post.

Read the full article at The Washington Post.

Over the past several nights, Maddow has been hammering conservative U.S. evangelical leaders and politicians for failing to speak out against a proposed bill in Uganda that would criminalize homosexuality.

On Thursday, Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and pastor of the Saddleback Church in California, issued his first specific denunciation of the legislation, days after initially saying he couldn't interfere in another nation's politics.

Warren has also denied rumors that he’s ever supported the bill or anyone associated with it, contrary to Maddow's reporting. Watch Thursday night's segment from Maddow's outstanding coverage of the Uganda hate bill:

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The author of "Coming Out Straight : Understanding and Healing Homosexuality," has been used in Uganda's campaign to justify an anti-gay movement that has culminated in a legislative effort known as the "Kill The Gays Bill."

Said Maddow:

"I realize I was taking the risk of helping promote you and the way that you think about these things by putting you on the air ... but I do think that you've actually got blood on your hands."

Later she added, "Just in case this gets heard in Uganda ... Richard Cohen is not licensed by any American or any other licensing body whatsoever."

During the segment, Maddow read passages from Cohen's book, including one based on discredited research:

Homosexuals are at least 12 times more likely to molest children than heterosexuals; homosexual teachers are at least 7 times more likely to molest a pupil; homosexual teachers are estimated to have committed at least 25 percent of pupil molestation; 40 percent of molestation assaults were made by those who engage in homosexuality.

Distancing himself from the Uganda legislation, Cohen said he plans to remove the future printings so that it can not be used as propaganda against gays.

In case you missed it, here is the clip from tonight's show:

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Cohen claims to be a former homosexual, and lives in Washington DC with his wife and three children.

Not too long ago, Baldacci stood against gay marriage, but has since had a change of heart, saying "civil union is not equal to a civil marriage."

Maine was to become the fifth state to allow same-sex marriage when Gov. Baldacci signed the bill on May 6, but was put on hold in September when opponents gathered enough signatures to place the measure on the November ballot in hopes of a "people's veto."

If Question 1 is rejected on November 3, Maine’s gay marriage law would remain on the books.

In case you missed Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night, here's her look at Maine's marriage battle and its similarities to California's Proposition 8, and interview with Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for Maine's "No on 1" campaign.

Maine’s gay marriage law was supposed to go into effect on September 12, but was put on hold when opponents gathered enough signatures to place it on the November ballot, hoping that Maine voters exercise a “People’s Veto” of the law.

A "no" vote on the November ballot referendum question means a vote to support the law as passed, allowing gay marriage, while a yes vote opposes same-sex marriage and would support repealing the law.

In fact, divorce rates are down to pre-1940's level, and Massachusetts now boasts the lowest divorce rates in the country.

From Thursday night's broadcast of the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.