"And, man, he would turn things upside down! It was just a wonder to behold to see him in action. He really saw himself as the editor. ... Walter actually had had a blue pencil that he used from time to time. I mean, he did the whole deal."

Goffney yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts each of burglary and criminal conspiracy under a plea deal between his attorney, Michael F. Gushue, and Assistant District Attorney Caroline Keating.

As part of the agreement, Goffney, 27, identified his twin, Keyontyli, who is free on bail and attended the hearing, as a co-conspirator in the burglaries.

National Black Justice Coalition Deputy Director
Jason W. Bartlett

Lt. Choi is an experienced combat leader and Arab linguist—two things our military desperately needs-- who is ready and willing to re-deploy with his unit.

Today’s decision only highlights the fact that the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy” is undermining the strength of our military and the security of our nation.

Having served two combat tours in Iraq and brought all 81 of my soldiers home alive before being discharged under the policy last year, I understand what Lt. Choi is going through all too well.

Since 1993, the careers of tens of thousands of soldiers have ended prematurely because of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”----at a cost of more than $400 million to taxpayers, the safety of combat soldiers deprived of experienced leaders and specialists, and the readiness of a force already stretched thin by two wars and repeated, extended deployments.

More than 70% of Americans support its repeal because Americans understand that in a time of war, America’s security is far more important than political expediency.I applaud Lt. Choi’s resolve to appeal this wrong-headed decision, and look forward to leading the effort to repeal this misguided policy as the next Congressman from California’s 10th District.”

Anthony Woods is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a veteran of two combat tours in Iraq, and was awarded both the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for his service.  Woods is a native of Fairfield, CA, and is campaigning for the expected Special Election to replace Representative Ellen Tauscher in California’s 10th District.

Reaction in India was instantaneous:

"I am ecstatic, euphoric," said Sumit Baudh, a lawyer active in Voices Against 377, a coalition of social organisations that petitioned the court for the repeal of the Britishimposed law. "This means a tremendous boost to pride, and dignity."

"Given the kind of closeted lives that people have been leading, it's some measure of reassurance that the law is not going to be a hindrance to the leading of open, honest lives," he said. The constitutional challenge to India's ban has been watched closely by gay activists across Asia and Africa, especially in former colonies of the British that decriminalised homosexuality at home in 1967. The verdict was also praised by human rights groups and the UN.

However, Indian religious organisations, which carry considerable political clout in a constitutionally secular but religiously conservative society, expressed dismay. Father Babu Joseph, a Roman Catholic priest, said: "We cannot afford to endorse homosexuality as normal and socially acceptable."

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

In her autobiography, The Lady Sings the Blues, jazz singer Billie Holiday said the audience at the theatre was like no other in the world. It shows no mercy. Contestants who don't find favour are booed off the stage and other insults are hurled from the upper rows. However, those whose ability and charm are convincing on the stage are rewarded with warm enthusiasm.

The Apollo Theatre on 125th Street, in the heart of Harlem, was considered a phenomenon from its opening in 1934. At a time when segregation was the norm in the United States, it was one of the first establishments where blacks were permitted to be both on stage and sit in the audience. Overnight it became an incubator of black talent, whether jazz, blues, comedy, dance and rhythm and blues.

"The Apollo is shorthand for both American and African-American culture," said John Breglio, producer of the new production of Dreamgirls in a recent article in the New York Times. "It's the birthplace for music in this country. It resonated with us because 'Dreamgirls' is a snapshot of the 1950s, '60s and '70s American music culture."

Also, the organizers hope to unveil the Eudy Simelane memorial ‘bridge’, next to where her body was discovered.

Celeste Orangers' treatment included chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation, and what was then a brand new gene therapy- an IV drug treatment called Herceptin. In April 2005, Herceptin was just approved as a wonder drug in treating breast cancer, and Celeste was one of her doctor's first patients to receive it. "I believe I am here today because of that new protocol. Without the fundraising done by organizations like Susan G. Komen For The Cure ®, Herceptin would have been many years off, and I probably would not be here," says Orangers.

The Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded in 1990 and has raised over $45 million to date. The organization is devoted to its local community, disbursing up to 75 percent of net income to local breast health programs in the five boroughs of New York City, on Long Island and in Westchester and Rockland Counties. In 2008, Komen Greater NYC awarded close to $3.2 million in grants - $2.3 million will support 38 community-based organizations that provide breast health programs to underserved women, $225,000 will increase capacity of local researchers to enroll women in breast cancer trials, $45,000 will help fund local breast cancer conference and education programs, and $1.3 million will go for research. For more information, visit the Komen Greater NYC Website, www.komennyc.org.

For a direct link to purchase "Pretty In Pink" on iTunes, please visit: www.arielaparicio.com/komen

For more information on Ariel Aparicio and to watch the "Pretty In Pink" music video, please visit www.arielaparicio.com or www.myspace.com/arielapariciomusic.

Since 1993, the LGBT Expo proudly boasted that it has helped to spur over $80million in economic stimulus to the greater Tri-state area, dollars which are generated by attendees at the Expo, gay-owned businesses, and gay-friendly companies exhibiting at the Expo, which also included several Fortune 1000® companies.

The Expo featured several services that ran the gamut from adoption services to alcoholic beverages, specialized gay television networks and programs, and even luxury car services, such as the double-deck limo bus offered by Designer Limousines, which seats up to 80 people in a tricked out interior. Each company relished the opportunity to show off its wares. Some companies have been exhibiting at the Expo for many years, while others as they introduced their products, hoped to increase their fan base.

Later, as Chin came of age in a succession of homes-some dysfunctional, some welcoming and some merely adequate, she developed an unbreakable sense of self. Having always been a lively and spirited child, Chin grew into a bright, headstrong young woman, clearly on the verge of carving out a bigger existence for herself. While her life has had many twists and turns, including a confrontation with the man she believes to be her father and her dangerous coming out in college, she has remained courageous in the face of adversity. Told with grace, humor and courage, THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE is an unforgettable story of triumph against the odds.

Carl, a junior at New Leadership Charter School in Springfield who did not identify as gay, would have turned 12 on April 17, the same day hundreds of thousands of students will participate in the 13th annual National Day of Silence by taking a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying and harassment at school. The other three known cases of suicide among middle-school students took place in Chatham, Evanston and Chicago, Ill., in the month of February.

"Our hearts go out to Carl's mother, Sirdeaner L. Walker, and other members of Carl's family, as well as to the community suffering from this loss," GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. "As we mourn yet another tragedy involving bullying at school, we must heed Ms. Walker's urgent call for real, systemic, effective responses to the endemic problem of bullying and harassment. Especially in this time of societal crisis, adults in schools must be alert to the heightened pressure children face, and take action to create safe learning environments for the students in their care. In order to do that effectively, as this case so tragically illustrates, schools must deal head-on with anti-gay language and behavior."

Two of the top three reasons students said their peers were most often bullied at school were actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression, according to ''From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America,'' a 2005 report by GLSEN and Harris Interactive. The top reason was physical appearance.

The county attorney who defended the law said he would not seek a rehearing. The only recourse for opponents appeared to be a constitutional amendment, which could take years to ratify.

"We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective," the Supreme Court wrote.

Iowa lawmakers have "excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification."

To issue any other decision, the justices said, "would be an abdication of our constitutional duty."

The Iowa attorney general's office said gay and lesbian couples can seek marriage licenses starting April 24, once the ruling is considered final.

The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims.

On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives.

The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire

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Same-sex relationships and marriages are illegal in Uganda and a person found guilty can be sentenced to life imprisonment. But no person has ever been convicted of same-sex relations in the country's courts.

The current anti-gay laws are weak as it is not easy to successfully prosecute culprits. But the government is drafting tougher legislation to curb the practice, Nsaba Buturo said.

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The book, based on a a decade of research and hundreds of interviews, was written by Dr. Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center, and one of the nation’s most widely recognized authorities on gays in the military. Dr. Frank is appearing with Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher today at the Center for American Progress to discuss her proposed legislation to repeal the ban.

Publication of the book by St. Martin’s Press falls on the 15th anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell." Frank spoke to key military and political architects of the policy, many of whom acknowledge in the book that it was “based on nothing” but “our own prejudices and our own fears.”

Shalikashvili

Murphy

General John Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tops the list of prominent leaders who have endorsed the "Unfriendly Fire," saying it “should be mandatory reading for anyone with an interest in the state of our society or the readiness of our military.” Congressman Patrick J. Murphy, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the only Iraq War veteran in Congress, said Frank’s “timely book should put to rest any lingering doubt about whether ‘don't ask, don't tell’ is working—it's been a failure from day one and should finally be put behind us.”

The Palm Center has launched "Send UNFRIENDLY FIRE to Congress!" which is an online campaign to put a book into the hands of every member of Congress by this spring.

Information about that campaign and about Frank’s speaking tour that kicks off today to Washington, California, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia is available at:
UNFRIENDLY FIRE.