Last month the California State Supreme court overturned a law that prohibited gay marriage as unconstitutional. June 17, 2008 will mark the first day that gay and lesbian couples will be able to legally marry with the same benefits as heterosexual couples have.

“For me it was important to take part in this history making moment. I’ve always been politically active and have never wanted to be someone who sat on the sidelines. There are so many brave gay Americans who have sacrificed for my rights and I felt I wanted to honor that. In particular as an open, gay, Black man in the entertainment industry, I felt it was important to be seen and heard.” says Jamal.

He added, "Recently I attended an LA event for GLAAD and the President Neil G. Giuliano asked us where we wanted to be when years from now, someone asks what we did when history was being made. I can't think of anything that would be bring me more pride than to have stood up for this."

In addition there’s an artistic upside as well for the maverick director whose comedy-drama series, Friends and Lovers debuts this summer, with gay marriage as one of its important storylines.

Asked if he would soon be walking down the aisle himself, Jamal says, “I’m glad that gays and lesbians have the right to get married and be as happy, or miserable as the rest of America. Personally, I’d love to get married, but I’d have get a boyfriend first.”

LABOUR MP Emily Thornberry has launched a withering attack on the Islington registrar refusing to conduct gay weddings, telling her: “Get on with the job.”

Lillian Ladele is taking the Town Hall to an unprecedented employment tribunal claiming that she should not be made to preside over civil partnerships because they clash with her Christian principles.

Employment lawyers said the outcome of the case is impossible to predict because the tribunal will be forced to choose between the right to hold religious beliefs and the right to equality.

Ms Thornberry, commenting on the case for the first time this week, said: “I cannot sit by whilst others attempt to undermine equality in the provision of public service on any basis.”

Chris Benson, from Leigh Day and Co, said the pending tribunal has attracted the attention of the entire legal profession.

He said: “It is so rare. The only similar case I can think of is a judge who took the Department for Constitutional Affairs to an employment tribunal because he said placing children with same sex families went against his beliefs.

“It is difficult to look into a crystal ball and predict what might happen but I suspect her case will simply be based on the change in the law in October, her religious beliefs and the fact that she is an employee.

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NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Gay and lesbian couples are just as committed in their relationships as heterosexuals and the legal status of their union doesn't impact their happiness, according to new research.

In two new studies that compared same-sex and heterosexual couples using different factors and methods to assess their happiness, scientists found few differences.

"Among the committed couples, there were very few differences that we were able to identify either in terms of how satisfied these couples were, how effectively they interacted with one another or how their bodies responded physiologically while they were interacting with one another," Glenn I. Roisman, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, said in an interview

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