The Iowa Supreme Court has advised that it will release its ruling on the “gay-marriage” ban this Friday, April 3, 2009. Oral Arguments were presented to the court in December. The case, is Varnum v. Brien and will be released on the Iowa Supreme Court website by 8:30 a.m.

In a sad and twisted moment, the Obama Administration has decided to delay the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy until 2010. The policy, implemented during the Clinton Administration, prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. Should it become known that they are homosexual, they loose their jobs.

As the Kansas City-based chorus prepares for their Saturday performance of “And Justice For All” to honor the fight and fighters for civil equality (i.e. women’s suffrage, the stonewall riots and Martin Luther King, Jr.), the “top leaders” of the state’s senate denies a resolution honoring the group.

Chris Quintanilla, a 14 year old Peoria, Arizona student, was recently forced to turn his rainbow wristband inside out by the principal. Chris reports that he has experienced numerous anti-gay moments at the school.

Radical extremist and Religious Reich member, Stacey Campfield, of Tennessee has introduced more controversial legislation. With his latest push to outlaw the word “gay” from Tennessee schools, Campfield has stooped to a new low.

San Jose Mercury news is now reporting that 56% (14 out of 25 ) of all hate crimes reported in Santa Clara County California were based upon sexual orientation. This is a significant jump from 2007 with only three of the twenty reported hate crimes being “gay” related.

The AP is reporting that 11 military service members were discharged in January, 2009, under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy put into place during the Clinton administration. That doesn’t seem like a high number, but…

A group of “homosexuals” apparently “stormed” the National Assembly in protest of a bill seeking to prohibit same-gender marriages in Nigeria. The argument made by the bill is that the charter on Human Rights signed by the U.N. (but not the USA) granted them the freedom of sexual orientation – which the proposed ban would infringe upon.

This week has resulted in my being startled by very vocal, racist remarks. On Monday, a very dear friend of mine was the victim of such vocal racism. While riding in an elevator with an older woman and a young girl, my friend was called a “gook.” This term was not used in anger against my friend, but was sharp and jarring none-the-less. The older lady in the elevator turned to the young girl and matter of factly stated (while pointing at my friend), “That is a gook.” Out of shock, my friend did not respond. She told me it was the first time in her life she can recall someone using that term in her presence to reference her directly.

Three men, two brothers and a cousin, shouted anti-gay slurs at patrons of Robert’s Lafitte and pelted them with rocks. One man, Marc Bosaw, required 12 staples to close the wounds. Another man was hit in the jaw by a rock.