A man in eastern Spain has become the first to receive an official letter apologizing for his imprisonment for being homosexual in the 1970s, the BBC reports. Antoni Ruiz spent three months in prison under a law introduced during General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. In addition to the letter, he has received 4,000 euros ($5,900) in […]

Lambda Rising, a bookstore serving the LGBT community in the nation’s capital for 35 years, is closing its Washington DC store in Dupont Circle and its remaining out-of-town store in Rehoboth Beach, Del., in January, reports DC Agenda. The closings, announced Friday, mark the end of the city’s only exclusively LGBT bookstore and becomes another […]

In a posting that appeared on their website Friday, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center condemned the Grammy nomination for Buju Banton, a “notoriously anti-gay performer whose music promotes the violent murder of LGBT people:” Throughout his career, Banton has performed music that promotes a culture of violence against lesbian and gay people; he sings […]

Portia de Rossi appeared on The View this week, discussing being married to Ellen Degeneres, Proposition 8, and civil unions vs. marriage. De Rossi schools the hosts on why the legality of gay marriage is important, that it’s “not a religious issue, or a moral issue… it’s just simply a civil rights issue.” “The fact […]

A new publication aimed at filling the void left by the Southern Voice is expected to launch early in 2010. The GA Voice (pronounce it as you wish, its creators say) is set to debut early next year both online and in print, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ve pretty much got the money for the […]

After taking heat from Adam Lambert’s fans and gay advocates for a week, ABC on Friday extended an olive branch of sorts to the “American Idol” runner-up, reports the Los Angeles Times. ABC canceled Lambert’s scheduled appearances on “Good Morning America” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and stopped considering him for “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which […]

In the third statement released in two days about the ABC v. Adam Lambert controversy, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) on Friday explicitly criticized the network for using a “double standard” against the “American Idol” runner-up and called on the community to protest ABC, reports the Los Angeles Times. GLAAD’s previous two […]

A DC resident has started a controversial internet campaign to gather information about closeted gay priests in the Washington DC area. According to its creator, social media expert and gay activist Phil Attey, the goal of ChurchOuting.org is to gather first-hand accounts of closeted gay clergy in the hopes that those priests will come out […]

Democratic Assemblyman John Perez of Los Angeles is about to become the California’s first openly gay speaker of the Assembly. The position will make Perez the highest-ranking gay politician in California history. The speaker is generally considered the second or third most powerful position in state politics, after the governor and the Senate president pro […]

Over twenty million people have died from AIDS since its cause, HIV, was discovered in 1981. Though leading scientists worldwide have dedicated their life’s work to understanding the virus, its genetic complexity is unprecedented and a cure is still beyond reach. This month, In the Life speaks with scientists working tirelessly for a cure, advocates […]

TRENTON — The New Jersey gay marriage proposal will be considered Monday by a Senate committee and could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week, reports the New Jersey Star-Ledger. On Monday in the Judiciary Committee, we’re going to vote on marriage equality,” state Sen. Ray Lesniak said, while making the […]

The Roman Catholic Church still regards homosexuality as an “insult to God” and homosexuals and transsexuals will never go to Heaven, a leading cardinal said on Wednesday, prompting a rebuke from the Vatican. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the retired head of the Vatican’s Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, made the comments Wednesday […]

Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed and Governor Chris Gregoire have made it official, certifying that voters adopted the “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law approved by the Legislature last spring. Referendum 71, placed on the ballot by foes of same-sex marriage, was approved by a margin of more than 110,000 votes, or more than […]

Uganda is likely to pass a bill criminalizing homosexuality in the east African nation and deal a blow to rights activists, but the act will have some changes to appease donors who fund about a third of the budget, reports Reuters. While Uganda has been lauded for its reforms and economic growth since 1986, rights […]

Utah’s first openly gay state senator will be resigning from office effective the end of this week to focus more time on practicing law, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Democratic state Sen. Scott McCoy, announced Tuesday that he had already decided that he wasn’t going to seek re-election when his term is up next year. […]

Voters in Georgia have elected the first openly lesbian African-American state legislator in the U.S. In a runoff election on Dec. 1, Simone Bell was elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives. Simone has worked for more than 20 years as an activist and advocate in Atlanta and throughout the south. She’s tackled issues […]

For seven years, actress Meredith Baxter has been hiding a secret. Now Baxter, who played the devoted hippie mom constantly butting heads with her conservative kids on “Family Ties,” is making a public admission. “I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition,” she told Matt Lauer on the TODAY show. “Some people would […]

ALBANY — The New York State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history, the New York Times reports. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and dashes the optimism […]

CAMPBELL, Calif. –Sleepy, suburban Campbell’s City Council elected one of the youngest gay and youngest Asian American mayors in the country at a meeting Tuesday night, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The council promoted Evan Low, 26, from vice mayor to a one-year term as mayor of the 38,000-resident Silicon Valley city. “He’ll have his […]

VALLEJO, Calif. — Hundreds of people descended on Vallejo City Hall Tuesday night as members of the city’s gay and lesbian community gathered for an emotional rally to condemn recent controversial comments made by Mayor Osby Davis, reports KTVU-TV. Davis was recently quoted as saying gays and lesbians won’t be welcome in heaven. Judging from […]