Boston Pride Week launches with a Rainbow Flag-raising ceremony at City Hall at noon on Friday, May 31 (photo: James Lopata)

It's Pride Week again in Boston!

The 2013 festivities commence this coming Friday at noon with the raising of the Rainbow Flag over City Hall.

This year, Thomas Menino hosts the flag raising for the last time as mayor of Boston. Menino is also being honored as a Marshall for the Pride parade on Saturday, June 8.

Below is a rundown of some of the key events happening in conjunction with Boston Pride Week.

For more information on all the events, be sure to check out Boston Pride’s web site at www.bostonpride.org.

Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony
Friday, May 31 — Boston City Hall
With host Mayor Thomas Menino.

Pride Day at Faneuil Hall
Saturday, June 1 — Boston’s Faneuil Hall
Live music and performances from The Urban Ballet, South End Show Stopperz Dance Team, Crystal Foxx, Rolla and more. Hosted by Raquel Blake. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Royal Pageant
Monday June 3 — Machine Nightclub
Lake Mondale and Raquel Blake crown the king and queen of Boston Pride at 7 p.m.

Boston Pride Festival
Saturday June 8 — City Hall Plaza
From noon to 6 p.m. with vendors and live entertainment — including Boston-based headliner Karmin.

Boston Pride Parade
Saturday June 8 — The streets of Boston
Parade starts at 12 p.m., with celebrity marshal Denise Crosby (Star Trek).

ESME Women's Block Party
Saturday, June 8 — 1 Boylston Place
DJ Linda Lowell spins the annual women's favorite. 2 p.m. in the alley at 1 Boylston Place.

Pride Block Party: Back Bay Edition
Sunday, June 9 — St. James Avenue in the Back Bay
Dancing in the streets from noon to 8 p.m.

Pride Block Party: JP Edition
Sunday, June 9 — Perkins Street, Jamaica Plain
Dancing in the streets of JP from noon to 7 p.m.

Fred Phelps Jr., the son of Fred Phelps who leads the Westboro Baptist Church, has tweeted that he believes the tornadoes that recently leveled areas in and around Oklahoma City are the result of Kevin Durant's support of former Celtic Jason Collins. Durant plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA and Collins recently came out as gay.

Durant has also pledged to donate $ million to the recovery efforts in Oklahoma City.

The LGBT Aging Project, New England's premier organization for cultural competency training, programs and advocacy for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) older adults, will become an affiliate of Fenway Health effective July 1, 2013. The LGBT Aging Project will become part of Fenway's research, education and policy division, The Fenway Institute. This new affiliation will reinforce the commitment of both the LGBT Aging Project and Fenway Health to the growing LGBT older adult community.

"The LGBT Aging Project will maintain its mission, identity and staff with the Fenway Institute as our new home, "said Lisa Krinsky, Director of the LGBT Aging Project. "We are excited to join the Fenway family, and to grow our programs to positively impact the lives of larger numbers of LGBT older adults and caregivers. We are equally excited to help Fenway expand their work in LGBT aging."

This affiliation will tightly integrate community-based services, training and advocacy for LGBT older adults with research relevant to the aging LGBT population and access to health care. The resulting synergy will increase visibility for LGBT older adults and their unique social service and health care needs. As part of The Fenway Institute, the LGBT Aging Project will continue to build upon its successes in providing training, capacity-building, and community-based services and collaborate with Fenway faculty and staff to conduct critical research on the LGBT older adult community. This will help sharpen training, outreach and educational efforts at both organizations.

"Fenway is extremely excited by this partnership. As more members of our community reach their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, care and services for LGBT older adults are going to be increasingly important," said Stephen L. Boswell, MD, Fenway Health President and CEO. "We look forward to working with the staff of the LGBT Aging Project on growing their programs and tapping into their expertise to help Fenway better serve our elders."

Founded in 2001 by a group of advocates from both the aging service network and the LGBT community, the LGBT Aging Project is dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults have equal access to the life-prolonging benefits, protections, services and institutions that their heterosexual neighbors take for granted. Through LGBT cultural competency training for mainstream elder service providers, community building for LGBT older adults themselves, and civic leadership, the LGBT Aging Project ensures that LGBT older adults can age with the dignity and respect they deserve.

For more than forty years, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenway's Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless or living on the streets; struggling with substance use or abuse; sex workers; or living with HIV/AIDS.

Notre Dame de Paris (photo: Tom S. from WikiCommons, public domain)

After ranting against gay marriage in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, conservative author and activist Dominique Venner left a note at the altar and then put a pistol in his mouth and fired it, killing himself, according to the UK Guardian.

The Guardian further reports:

The motive for the suicide and the contents of the letter were not immediately clear, although Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right Front National, tweeted her "respect" for Venner and said his death was an "eminently political" gesture.

Manuel Valls, the French interior minister, arrived as officers cordoned off the site. He told French TV: "At the time of this act, the suicide of a desperate man, there were 1,500 people in the cathedral. These people were evacuated very quickly."

Notre Dame's rector could not recall if anyone had ever taken his or her own life in the cathedral during the building's 850-year history.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of two companies with a passion for modern furniture. To celebrate their long-standing businesses, Circle Furniture will host Thayer Coggin’s Design Classics Roadshow. As part of their celebration, Thayer Coggin is sharing a collection of internationally acclaimed designer Milo Baughman’s furniture from the mid-century modern era.

“In celebration of our 60th anniversary, we are taking these design classics to furniture showrooms across the country,” said Mrs. Royale Coggin Wiggin, president of the company. “Milo Baughman and Thayer Coggin worked together to define a classical era of modern furniture in America. This road show will highlight the history of our company and spotlight our commitment to excellence and craftsmanship in making American contemporary furniture.”

“The Thayer Coggin event could not have come at a better time, since we ourselves are celebrating our 60th anniversary,” said Peggy Burns, co-owner of Circle Furniture. “60 years in business is an incredible accomplishment, and we are excited to share this milestone with Thayer Coggin and our beloved customers.”

The opening reception for this contemporary furniture trunk show will be on Thursday, May 30th at Circle Furniture’s downtown Boston showroom, 31 St. James Avenue. The display will be available May 25th through June 5th.

To benefit The One Fund Boston, Circle Furniture will auction off two Milo Baughman chairs that were generously donated by Thayer Coggin. For more information about the auction please visit www.circlefurniture.com.

Kaitlyn Hunt, an 18 year old high school girl from Florida, has been removed from her school and arrested for "lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16" after the parents of her 15 year old girlfriend called police. Hunt and the other girl had been dating for almost one year.

"These people (the parent’s of the 15 year old) never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us... and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating," Kaitlyn Hunt's mother, Kelley Hunt-Smith, wrote on Facebook. "...They were out to destroy my daughter. [They] feel like my daughter 'made' their daughter gay."

“This should have never been a legal matter, it is a family matter. They are trying to send an innocent young girl to prison because they are full of hate and bigotry. These girls are teenagers in high school, who had one mutual consenting sexual experience. My daughter isn’t a criminal, she isn’t a predator. The (other) daughter has said from day one, she cares about my daughter, she never wanted her parents to do this, she was 100% consenting and it was by her own choice that she was with my daughter. She doesn’t want Kate to be punished at all, and feels like they did nothing wrong.”

Originally the Sebastian River High School administration denied the request of the other girl’s parents to have Hunt expelled. A judge’s order also allowed Hunt to stay in the school. That, however, changed when the parents petitioned the school board. The board removed Kaityn from school shortly before she was due to graduate.

The state attorney's office has offered Kaitlyn Hunt a plea deal which includes two years' house arrest and a year of probation.

A Change.org petition urging the Indian River County State Attorney's Office to stop prosecution of Kaitlyn Hunt had drawn more than 30,000 signatures and "Free Kate," a Facebook group supporting the girl had amassed nearly 20,000 followers.

Just in time for the 9th anniversary of legal marriage for same-sex couples in Massachusetts, three new books inspire and guide

By John O'Connell

Congratulations! You’ve met the person of your dreams and have chosen to spend the rest of your lives together! Only problem is that you want a small, formal, traditional ceremony and you fiancé wants — She or he doesn’t even know yet. But not that.

Many same-sex couples have never day-dreamed about what they want from a wedding or they fall immediately into the patterns that heterosexual marriages have instilled in our culture. The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings, now in its third edition, The Gay Couple’s Guide to Wedding Planning, and Capturing Love, a visual guide to photographing same-sex weddings, are now available to spark your imagination and make sure you don’t overlook a single detail in planning what is perhaps the biggest event of your life.

Behind the Candelabra, Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming movie about Liberace and Scott Thorson, is getting great pre-release buzz. The movie stars Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover, Thorson.

In a recent interview Soderbergh discussed his memories of Liberace (comparing him in one instance to Lebron James), the movie, and the performances of both Douglas and Damon.

Soderbergh worked with Douglas on the movie Traffic and it was then that he first approached the actor with the idea of playing Liberace. “Well, that’s the first time I discussed the idea with him, and he did do a little impression, which I thought was excellent”.

After coming across Thorson’s book on his life with Liberace, Soderbergh know he had his storyline for the movie. After initially trying to tackle the storyline with Liberace as the centerpiece he changed his thinking and used Thorson as the “trojan horse” to get into Liberace’s life. “It gave me a definitive time period, and it gave me a structure because of the arc of the relationship,” said Soderbergh.

As for Damon, Soderbergh recalled “(Matt) was in Spain doing his cameo in Che, and I gave him the book. I can only imagine what was going through his mind five years later before we started shooting. But Matt doesn’t have anything to protect. That’s not how he makes his decisions. He makes his decisions based on whether he’s engaged by the piece or not. If it turns out to be something that’s really gonna push him as a performer, even better. And Michael, he was just fearless. They both are. The movie just doesn’t work if they don’t both literally join hands and jump off the cliff. It’s intimate stuff, even if it was a guy and a girl. But for a lot of people it’ll be hard to see Jason Bourne on top of Gordon Gekko.”

For anyone who is old enough to truly remember Liberace, count Soderbergh in that group, the memories are of a truly unique performer. That, above all, is what drew the director to the movie. “I’m old enough to have seen him on TV at my parents’ place, and found him very entertaining. I was kind of intrigued by the incredible technical skill being masked by this flamboyant persona. Underneath this performer who was all about entertaining his audience and giving them a good time was actually a concert-level skilled keyboardist. It’s kind of like if LeBron James decided to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. There really wasn’t anybody like him. And there are a lot of people now that owe him a real debt because of how he presented himself. This guy invented bling,” said Soderbergh

One Million Moms (OMM) is demanding that Disney put a stop to the 23rd annual Gay Day at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on Saturday, June 1.

OMM is an organization with less than 57,000 likes on Facebook. It is known for its call to boycott of JC Penney last year, after out gay talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres became a spokesperson for the retailer.

The group's latest targeted marketing calls on members to contact Disney's CEO to demand that he end Disney Gay Day.

Disney claims that they have no control over Gay Day or who enters the park on any given day.

Adding interest to the story, Instinct magazine points out that the new president of Disney World, George Kalogridis, is gay.

Here's from One Million Mom's statement:

June 1 Gay Pride Day at Disney

As soon as school lets out at the end of May, many families will plan to take their family vacation right away. Tens of thousands will make reservations in Orlando, Florida, for the first weekend in June. Warning! Not everyone there will be excited, innocent children anticipating a fun weekend at Disney World. The first Saturday in June, homosexuals, bisexuals and transvestites will be at the Magic Kingdom with an agenda and purpose different than what would be expected at Disney.

Homosexuals will be celebrating the 23rd anniversary of Gay Day wearing matching Gay Day merchandise, such as T-shirts. There will also be transvestites dressed in drag showing their support for the event. This event is planned with the intent to expose and desensitize children to this lifestyle by same-sex couples holding hands, hugging and kissing. In short, a Gay Day participant's main goal is to be seen versus seeing Disney World.

In past years when we have contacted Disney representatives about this same issue, their response was simply that they do not sponsor this event.

On June 1, unsuspecting families will witness a well-orchestrated event that Disney says they have no control over. Disney has taken no action to stop this, which leaves families stunned and offended. So instead of a normal day at this popular theme park, parents will be angry at the harm this causes families.

Disney has been irresponsible for far too long. Disney representatives and security need to maintain a family-friendly atmosphere and require proper conduct and dress code on a daily basis.

Parents who have already made travel plans to be in Orlando during this time should make arrangements to visit a park other than the Magic Kingdom on Saturday, June 1.

Take Action:

Please click on the following link to send your email to Disney's CEO and other Disney officials urging the park to no longer "go along" with Gay Day. Disney should monitor this day and event for public displays of affection and require proper conduct and appropriate attire. This should always be policed, but especially on Gay Day.

The online magazine Aswat has launched an anti-homophobia campaign called “Love for All” that will last throughout the month of May. In a statement issued on April 29, Aswat called on citizens from throughout the Arab World to submit pictures of themselves holding signs with messages rejecting homophobia.

The campaign commemorates the International Day Against Homophobia, May 17, a date chosen because homosexuality was removed from the national classification of diseases by the World Health Organization on that day in 1990.

“We started this campaign to peacefully protest online the upsetting conditions that our community lives in the Arab world, to demand revoking laws that criminalize same-sex relations, and to protect sexual minorities within their own societies,” read the statement.

A photo stating “Oppression will not prevent joy. Traditions will not kill hope… We will live.” Submitted as part of Aswat’s anti-homophobia campaign. Image courtesy Aswat’s Facebook page.

“We, Aswat magazine, believe it is our moral responsibility to raise awareness about the occasion. The success of the campaign has been overwhelming and LGBTQ Arabs have been sending us their voices through signs they made,” said Maher Alhaj, a member of Aswat’s staff.

Tunisia Live interviewed Maher Alhaj, a US-based Jordanian LGBTQ activist, who told us more about Aswat.

TUNISIA LIVE: What is Aswat? When and how was it created?

Maher Alhaj: We are a group of Arab activists and writers from around the Arab world who are a part of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc) community. Aswat is an Arabic online monthly magazine founded and led by Marwan Said from Morocco, where it is now operating. The magazine was first launched in April 2012 and we are now on our 13th issue. It is published monthly in a PDF format where people can download it for free. Our website is visited by hundreds and sometimes thousands of people daily.

Maher Alhaj of Aswat magazine.
What are the goals of Aswat and what audience is it trying to reach?

Our goals are to educate the Arab world about LGBTQ issues and to fight for our basic human rights. We have voices that need to be heard. We address various issues that pertain to our existence and situation as oppressed sexual minorities from sexual health, gender and sexual identities, psychological health and education, creative writing, LGBTQ activism, advocacy, organizing, etc. We aim to educate not only the LGBTQ Arab community but also reach out to others as well who might have many misconceptions about us. We are humans like others, we exist everywhere and we deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated within the fabrics of our societies like all other groups in society.

Where are you based? And are you interested in covering issues in that country only or in the Arab World in general?

We are based in Morocco but our writers and staff and guests contribute to the magazine from all across the Arab world and abroad.

Do you think that the situation of the LGBTQ community has changed since the Arab Spring or not? If yes, how so?

Well, there is certainly a slight improvement in the situation when it comes to women’s rights and LGBT rights. We have more people who are working on changing our unjust predicaments. Many of us are doing that from abroad more freely like myself because of my circumstances, and others are doing it more heroically from inside the Arab World.

I don’t know if the Arab Spring has a lot to do with this or not, but I believe the Internet is playing a major role in this improvement because it allows us to be more connected, to learn from what others are doing and to be inspired.

Recently in Tunisia, two men were allegedly arrested for being caught in the action of sodomy in a hotel. The law in Tunisia does not criminalize homosexuality per say but sodomy between all couples. Is the legal framework the same in the Middle East? How would you describe such laws and the laws in your region?

Most countries in the Middle East and in other Muslim and Arab societies criminalize homosexuality from a legal framework. A few don’t (such as Jordan for example) but that does not mean it is celebrated or accepted. Homosexuality is not accepted or practiced publicly in our Arabic and Muslim societies and violating that results in extreme punishments. However that is not to say homosexuals do not exist. We do and people have homosexual encounters but it is the ultimate “don’t ask don’t tell” and all behind close doors.

This is not only due to the laws in place but also to our Arabic cultural, religious, scientific, and other understandings of the issue. Morocco is no different. Article 489 in the Moroccan Penal Code is used to criminalize homosexuality. Homosexuality is natural and a beautiful thing and our laws need to change to accommodate that. They will sooner or later.

What should be done in terms of raising awareness and addressing LGBTQ issues? Would Arab countries prioritize raising questions about gay marriage or adoption or gay pride parades for instance, or do they have other concerns and different questions?

I see the role of media as crucial in raising awareness about LGBTQ issues. It has to be done in a positive manner though. We are mainly portrayed as sinners and abnormalities in the limited instances that shed the light on our existence.

Our laws need to change to allow for our protection, but I believe also that in order for that to happen we need to change the conversation in the Arab world and to educate people about our beautiful existence and to “normalize” this issue.

Aswat magazine is just one media outlet that hopes to do that and to affect change. Our LGBTQ community exists but we are invisible, and that has to change. With that said, I think our fight is still in the primitive stages and before we fight for marriage and adoption rights, we need to fight for our existence and visibility.

Four year old Kia Langer and Ellen Degeneres are now "going steady" according to comedian and talk show host.

Langer, who has appeared on the Ellen show in the past, is known for his cover renditions of Bruno Mars songs. Appearing this week with Ellen, Langer gave Degeneres a bracelet to signify that they are boyfriend and girlfriend and then serenaded her with the Bruno Mars song "When I Was Your Man"

Delaware became the 11th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage yesterday as Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay marriage bill into law just minutes after its passage by the state Senate.

“I do not intend to make any of you wait one moment longer,” Markell told a group of supporters following the 12-9 Senate vote only half an hour earlier.

“Delaware should be, is and will be a welcoming place to live and love and to raise a family for all who call our great state home,” Markell said.

Under the bill, no new civil unions will be performed in Delaware after July 1, and existing civil unions will be converted to marriages over the next year. The legislation also states that same-sex unions established in other states will be treated the same as marriages under Delaware law.

Lambda Legal, a national gay rights advocacy group, applauded passage of Delaware’s gay marriage bill.
Susan Sommer of Lamba Legal saluted Delaware for joining 10 other states who have legal marriage equality “Today, we celebrate with the thousands of Delaware same-sex couples and their children who will soon be able to have the full recognition and respect accorded to married families,” said Sommer.

Not all in Delaware were happy about the legislation including many in the Catholic Diocese.

“Let’s be careful about the concept of social evolution,” said the Rev. Leonard Klein, a Roman Catholic priest speaking on behalf of the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, which serves more than 200,000 Catholics in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

“When you remove male and female from the definition of marriage, all bets are off,” added Klein.

Next up for marriage equality supporters looks to be Minnesota. A bill for marriage equality has already been endorsed by the governor and appears to have enough backing in both the Senate and the House.

Jason Collins played for the Celtics this past year and recently announced that he is gay.

Jamie Collins has yet to start his professional career.

Jamie Collins was introduced to the media and fans of the New England Patriots last week during rookie media day at Gillette Stadium. Jamie was the second round pick of the Patriots in the recently completed NFL draft.

While on hand to introduce Collins, Patriots owner Robert Kraft took a moment to comment on the other Collins in the news these days, Jason Collins.

“My hearty congratulations to him,” Kraft said. And when asked about the possibility of a Patriots player coming out, Kraft responded, “We’re about winning, and [if] someone can come in here and help us win I don’t care what ethnic background, what racial background, what gender preference they have, if they can help us win and they’re about team then I’ll be happy to have them here.”

With the recent passage of the Marriage Equality Act, legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, there are now 10 states allowing for legal same-sex marriages in the U.S., including all 6 New England states.

Now that Governor Lincoln Chafee has signed the Rhode Island bill paving the way for marriage equality in Rhode Island, what is next in line for the marriage equality caravan?

Here are six upcoming states that will be tackling the issue in the near future:

Delaware

The state’s House recently approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage by a 23-18 vote, the bill will now be voted on in the Senate. Recent polls show that the majority of voters in Delaware support same-sex marriage as does Governor Jack Markell.

Illinois

The state’s Senate voted in favor of a marriage equality bill in February. The bill is now in the House where it is unclear if there are enough votes to secure passage.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn supports marriage equality

Minnesota

Marriage equality legislation has passed committees in the House and Senate and will now move to the full House and Senate. There is also a civil unions bill up for consideration.

Minnesota Governor Mark Drayton supports marriage equality.

New Jersey

Governor Chris Christie vetoed marriage equality legislation last year and would like the issue to be decided by New Jersey voters.

According to recent polling, if put to a vote, the majority of voters would vote in favor of marriage equality.

Oregon

In 2004 Oregon voters passed legislation banning same-sex marriages. There is now a movement underway to include a question on the 2014 ballot that would reverse that ban. Among the supporters of including the question is current Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber.

Nevada

The state Senate recently passed a resolution to repeal the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, the first step in a long process to legalize marriage equality in Nevada. The measure must be passed by lawmakers this year and in 2015, and then go before voters in 2016 for ratification.

John Ambrosino (photo: courtesy Lyric Stage)

Avenue Q actor trades puppets for a sailor uniform in On the Town; playing at Lyric Stage from May 10 - June 8.

By Loren King

John Ambrosino has fond memories of watching On the Town on VHS back in the ‘80s, when as a kid he soaked up all the classic movie musical he could find in the video store. “I was enthralled by the performances,” he says of the 1949 film. Now Ambrosino is busy prepping for the demanding singing/dancing lead in the Lyric Stage’s production of On The Town (he’s got the Gene Kelly role) which runs May 10 to June 8.

“[Director] Spiro [Veloudos] is bringing a completely fresh set of eyes to it. I hope I won’t be compared with Gene Kelly. I’m going to stay away from the movie now and let Spiro lead us down the road,” the actor says.

Ambrosino says the Lyric is taking an “awesome artistic risk” in staging On The Town. First produced on Broadway in 1944 under the helm of George Abbott and
choreographer Jerome Robbins, the classic about three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City during wartime boasts a score by a pretty stellar trio: Leonard Bernstein wrote the music and Betty Comden and Adolph Green penned the book and lyrics. The songs that came out of On the Town endure to this day; among them “New York, New York,” “Lonely Town,” “Some Other Time,” and “I Can Cook, Too” (which became a signature song for Lea DeLaria after her showstopping version in the 1998 revival).

Larry Sousa (photo: courtesy SpeakEasy Stage)
SpeakEasy Stage’s In The Heights features the work of a local choreographer gone big time. New production runs May 10 to June 8

By Loren King

Director/choreographer Larry Sousa remembers the first day of his first Broadway show, My Favorite Year. Sousa, who was part of the chorus, visited the craft services table. Dozens of coffee mugs were set out, each one emblazoned with the show’s logo and the cast member’s name. “I was shocked. I had my own mug!” recalls Sousa. As he stood there in awe of the validating welcome, a voice behind him said, “I know. It’s my first Broadway show, too.” Sousa turned and came face to face with Andrea Martin, one of the stars of the musical.

Now an in-demand choreographer/director on the Boston theater scene, Sousa has had other pinch-me moments over the course of 12 years working in television and theater in Los Angeles and New York. While appearing in the 2009 Broadway musical Busker Alley, composed by the Richard and Robert Sherman of Mary Poppins fame, Sousa recalls a rehearsal when the cast members broke into one of the composers’ signature songs. “We were sitting around a table singing ‘Feed the Birds’ to the guy who wrote it,” he says.

Congressional members of the ‘Gang of Eight’ currently working on new, comprehensive immigration reform, have hit a stumbling block regarding what to do same-sex partners of American citizens.

The immigration bill, concocted by four Democratic Senators, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), as well as four Republican Senators, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), includes provisions for legal immigration for highly skilled immigrants, migrant farm workers and those living here illegally however there are no provisions for same-sex partners of American citizens.

“There’s a reason this language wasn’t included in the Gang of Eight’s bill: It’s a deal-breaker for most Republicans,” said Senator Flake.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont has proposed a separate measure that would allow immigrants in long-term same-sex relationships to obtain residency with a green card. Senator Susan Collins of Maine is a co-sponsor of Leahy’s amendment. “Our legislation would simply update our nation’s immigration laws to treat binational, same-sex permanent partners fairly,” said Collins.

According to Senator Rubio, “This immigration bill is difficult enough as it is, if that issue (same-sex partners) is injected into this bill, this bill will fail. It will not have the support. It will not have my support.”

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee will stand on the steps of the Rhode Island State House later today and sign the Marriage Equality Act into law, thus allowing for legal same-sex marriages in Rhode Island. Chafee, elected as an Independent Governor, was formerly a Republican Senator for the state.

Chafee took the occasion of the signing to write an article for the New York Times. In the article he discussed the magnitude of the moment stating, “A historic realignment is happening all around us, as Americans from all walks of life realize that this is the right thing to do. It is occurring both inside and outside of politics, through conversations at the office and over kitchen tables, and at different speeds in different parts of the country. But once the people have spoken, politics should do its part to make the change efficient and constructive.”

He goes on to highlight a rather unique byproduct of signing the Act into law…economic growth. “Many experts have found evidence of a strong correlation between tolerance and prosperity, particularly in high-tech sectors. One of them, the author Richard Florida, has identified the “three T’s” — talent, technology and tolerance — as the fundamental basis for the growth of new economies.”

He continued, “The point is not simply that we are welcoming to gay people, though we are. It is that we want to welcome everyone. The talented workers who are driving the new economy — young, educated and forward-looking — want to live in a place that reflects their values. They want diversity, not simply out of a sense of justice, but because diversity makes life more fun. Why would any state turn away the people who are most likely to create the economies of the 21st century?”

Last week the state legislation voted to advance the Act for the Governor’s signature by a vote of 26 – 12. The majority of Rhode Island citizens favor marriage equality. Once Governor Chafee signs the Act into law Rhode Island will join the other 5 New England states in allowing for same-sex marriage.

As for what Governor Chafee will be thinking when he stands on the State House steps and signs the Act into law…

“I will be thinking of the Rhode Islanders who have fought for decades simply to be able to marry the person they love. I will be thinking of how Rhode Island is upholding its legacy as a place founded on the principles of tolerance and diversity.”