On Sunday night, two local women became the first out lesbians to compete in the Miss California USA pageant. Neither Mollie Thomas, 19, nor Jenelle Hutcherson, 26, went home with the crown, but they got their message across anyway. more ›

Two California women kissed and made history on Wednesday morning in Virginia. Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of San Pedro and her partner, Citlalic Snell of Northern California, publicly locked lips as Gaeta's ship, Oak Hill, docked at port. more ›

The LAPD is hosting a forum tonight for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, along with several other police officials and LGBTQ community and business leaders will be in attendance, giving the public the opportunity to engage in dialogue about the LGBTQ community within the City of Los Angeles. more ›

Is it wrong for a girl to be king? Since Rebecca Arellano and Haileigh Adams were crowned homecoming king and queen last week at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, the school has been flooded with hate mail and disturbing calls. more ›

After getting involved in phony marriages, three marines have been discharged with bad conduct. L.A. Now reports that the individuals, Vice Cpl. Jeremiah Griffin, Cpl. Joseph Garner and Cpl. Ashley Vice participated in the marriages so that Vice and her female partner, Jaime Murphy, would be able to collect housing allowances that the military provides to married couples. more ›

When it comes to the gay marriage debate, social security is hardly brought up. But the fact is, partners who have lived together for years are face economic hardship when social security benefits are denied after their other half dies. That's why occasional LAist contributor Shawn Nee produced this short documentary video, telling Atwater Village resident Bill Bowersock's story of loss and burden. more ›

One of the most interesting gallery shows out there right now can be found at the ONE Archives Gallery & Museum in West Hollywood. The show space is actually just a room housed in the West Hollywood Recover Center (the actual archives are on West Adams), but it's one pivotal and important room that can easily fascinate and inform you of the history of LGBT issues in Los Angeles. more ›

Thousands of gay, straight, and even some protestors, took to West Hollywood this weekend for the 40th Anniversary of L.A. Pride. The event benefits the Christopher Street West Association, which serves the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community of Greater Los Angeles through "human rights education, outreach and better understanding within our community, as well as the heterosexual community" more ›

Four Los Angeles healthcare facilities earned top ratings when it comes policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, according to a Human Rights Campaign report that was released today. But the study found that several local hospitals still do not include policies that deal with gender identity. more ›

Today the Episcopal Church will ordain the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool as "one of the first two female bishops in the Diocese of Los Angeles' 114-year history," reports cbs2. Additionally, the 56-year-old Baltimore native will be the church's second openly gay bishop. Glasspool, who has been with her partner for 22 years, was nominated last August and voted in this March, despite pressure from conservative Episcopalians to reject her nomination. In discussing her personal life, Glasspool "said in an essay on the Los Angeles diocese Web site that she had an 'intense struggle' while in college with her sexuality and the call to become a priest." more ›

When Kelley Fraser was announced as the new Sheriff Captain of West Hollywood, there was no mention about her sexual orientation, only her solid background and career. It wasn't until she recently appeared in front of the City Council with her family that the news was broke that she was openly gay. "The historic posting places a gay person as a LASD branch commander for the first time in Southern California," explained the WeHo News before diving into a long interview with her. more ›

As the federal court case about Prop 8, which banned gay marriage last year, nears, lawyers representing two gay couples are seeking internal communications from campaign proponents in order to prove the law was proposed and established with "discriminatory intent." more ›

The fourth hearing over a pending federal court case challenging the legality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will take place in San Francisco today. Backers of the ban are asking U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker to dismiss the challenge because the law is clearly written and, get this, "there is no constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry because marriage has long been defined as a union between a man and a woman," according to the LA Times. more ›

As Obama prepared for his big "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" speech last week, government figures released showed that women are more likely to be kicked out of military service under the policy than men. In a story, the Associated Press highlighted Julianne Sohn, who now works for the LAPD. more ›

Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, released a pointed statement this afternoon regarding Republican Michael Duvall, the Orange County Assemblyman who today resigned after a local TV station exposed a video of him crudely bragging about his extra-marital affairs, presumably with at least one lobbyist, according to reports. Jean's main point? Despite his family values when it came to opposing gay issues, he had no problem cheating: more ›

It's just after 10 a.m. and case against the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, is being heard for the second time in a federal district court in San Francisco. Before the first hearing in July, Judge Vaughn R. Walker said "given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings ... the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits of plaintiffs' claims. ... The just, speedy and inexpensive determination of these issues would appear to call for proceeding promptly to trial.” more ›

Backers of restoring gay marriage in California announced today that they will focus their energies on a 2012 ballot proposition, based on "information, research and feedback" from analysts, pollsters and the community-at-large. Equality California stepped back from attempting to win a measure on the 2010 ballot, but said in an e-mail that they refuse to wait until there is full confidence of winning, which could be later than the 2012 election. more ›

The annual Dyke Day L.A. march and celebration took place Saturday, moving from the top of the hill in Barnsdall Art Park to Edgecliff Dr in Silver Lake. "Dyke Day L.A. is a day in the park for all self-identified dykes and allies, including gay families, transgender dykes, and dykes of all ages. The mission of Dyke Day L.A. is to create an inclusive space that brings together the past, present, and future of our east side Los Angeles dyke community," explains their Facebook contingency. more ›

Today the state of Maine Legislature gave their approval of gay marriage. Although there were enough votes to pass the measure, there were not enough to override the "undecided" Gov. John Baldacci, who has 10 days to take action on the bill, if he chooses to veto. However, if he signs it into law, Maine would join Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut and Vermont. more ›

The California Supreme Court is rumored to announce their ruling on the fate of gay marriage as early as Monday. But as they figure things out, New York Governor David Paterson yesterday introduced legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. "There is clearly a problem in that those individuals who are gay or lesbian who would live in a civil union are still not entitled to somewhere between 1,250 and 1,300 civil protections" that are afforded to married couples, he said. A similar same-sex marriage bill was knocked down in the New York state Senate in 2007 when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer brought it to the table. more ›

For the first time in U.S. history, a marching band comprised of Americans identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer, will perform in the Presidential Inaugural Parade. Of the 177 musicians from twenty six states representing the Lesbian and Gay Bands Association (LGBA), four will represent Los Angeles. more ›

Just two days after Saturday's nationwide candlelight vigil regarding the passing of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, organizers from Join the Impact announced another cross-county event that will address President-Elect Barack Obama directly, reminding him of a campaign promise made in February. more ›

It was quiet, people seemed happy and overall, the Prop 8 candlelight vigil on Saturday night in Hollywood was positive. Light Up the Night was a nationwide demonstration that aimed to make an impact on the private sector by holding the vigils in high traffic business or shopping areas. Organizers estimate the vigils reached one million people with the message of equality. more ›

Marjorie Christoffersen, who was the most popular person at the 77-year-old restaurant, reportedly resigned Saturday after coming under fire for a $100 donation to support banning gay marriage in Califiornia. For her, she was going with what her Mormon leaders were saying even though her restaurant had been a gay friendly hang for years. El Coyote became one of the centerpieces of the boycott debate over where the line should be drawn on employee/management donations political causes. A protest was held outside the restaurant (see photos here) and many vowed never to eat thre again. more ›

In a move that shows how much more resourceful and mirthful GLBT activists are than their self-righteous opponents with the funny underwear, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center has raised over $60,000 since the election to invalidate Prop. 8--and each of their 2,300 world-wide donors did it in the name of Thomas Monson, head of the Latter-Day Saints. more ›

The California Supreme Court agreed yesterday to consider Prop 8 opponents' arguments on the validity of the proposition that banned gay marriage in California on November 4th (court motion in PDF here). However, the justices denied a stay that would have let county clerks resume issuing marriage license to gay couples until the case finished. more ›

When it was found that the CEO of Cinemark Theatres donated $9,999 to support Prop 8, talks of boycotting Sundance came up because the only movie theatre used in Park City, Utah is one owned by the company. But Sundance isn't budging and many opponents of Prop 8 agree. "As a nonprofit organization devoted to supporting artists, we very much appreciate and are sensitive to the larger issue at hand and respect the rights of individuals to express themselves," Sundance said in a statement via Variety. "It is our hope that people will embrace the festival for its commitment to diversity, not avoid it." more ›

It seems Saturday's National Prop 8 protest in all 50 states was a tipping point. Not the same tipping point that beget large passionate protests and rallies on a daily basis outside the Mormon Temple in Westwood, but the type of tipping point where people are done protesting and now starting to put the pieces back together, plan for the next move and wait (but yes, protests are still going to happen no matter what). more ›

“People have a right to participate in the electoral process without fear of intimidation or harassment,” Meg Waters of the Yes On 8 headquarters in Orange County told WeHo News in an investigation of the campaign's claim that their civil rights were violated. To that, Executive director of UCLA’s Williams Institute, Harvard-educated attorney Brad Sears said "They do like to play the victim. The right to participate without fear is not a right that’s recognized by any state constitution, and certainly not in the United States’ Constitution. The right to vote is a recognized right, but it isn’t people who voted being targeted, but those who gave money.” Both the FBI and US District Attorney's Office said they have received no reports about said civil rights violations. more ›

Around 120 people protested last night in front of El Coyote on Beverly Blvd. over the well-known restaurant manager's donation of $100 to support Prop 8 that eliminated gay marriage in California. more ›