Jeff Sheng’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is ongoing photo project which is a “series of portraits of closeted men and women currently serving in the United States military. [The artist] purposely shot each image in a way that obscures to some degree the identity of the individuals, and the final image that is released to the public is first approved by the subject, and is in many ways, their expression of their closeted-ness and lack of identity.” If you’re interested in participating, email the photographer confidentially at jeffsheng@jeffsheng.com.

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It is hard being a homo these days. Every time I turn on the TV I see more crimes against us and more laws passed limiting gay marriage and then, on top of all that, we have to put up with hateful protesters. One of my gay brothers, Chris Pesto, a student at Syracuse, had enough the other day. When an anti-gay protester marched around campus with a sign reading “Homosexuality is a sin,” Pesto took matters into his own hand.

And he too drafted a sign and decided to protest an even bigger sin: corduroy skirts! No human, gay, straight, or whatever, deserves to be force-fed bad fashion. It is just not right. It is, may I dare say, un-American. Chris’ sign read “corduroy skirts are a sin.”

The above image made me smile (not a small feat on World AIDS Day). It captures the ridiculousness of the protester and the good cheer of the gays. Just saying. We are a funny group!

We sure do wish Jon Stewart and “The Daily Show” would address reproductive rights more…ever. Oh, well, nobody’s perfect. At least there’s one sexual issue they tackle well…and often: Gay rights. Over the past week, they’ve presented a few great bits on the topic, including “Queer & Loathing in D.C.” (above) and “The Radical Gay Agenda” (which covered last Sunday’s gay rights march in Washington). Before Obama spoke at a dinner for the Human Rights Campaign (an LGBT organization) this past Saturday, Stewart even made a plea to the president to end the unfair Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy (”The Gay After Tomorrow“).

Obama delivered a great speech at the HRC dinner, promising (albeit yet again) to be the one to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But he went the extra mile with the line “You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.”

So what’s the hold-up? Why are qualified people still being fired from the military for being out? Perhaps we the people haven’t been loud and proud enough about supporting equal rights for everyone. Fortunately, NY’s junior senator Kirsten Gillibrand has made this one of her big issues and she’s just given us an easy way to help end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. According to her website, she “has secured an agreement from Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to hold the first Senate hearing on repealing DADT this Fall.” So in order to prepare for the hearing, Gillibrand is launching a nationwide petition — take a second and sign it now!

MORE FROM EM & LO:

• The Book “Unfriendly Fire”
• “My Parents Don’t Know I’m Gay”
• Em & Lo’s Gayer Side

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week issued a postmortem formal apology to Alan Turing for its “appalling” and “utterly unfair” treatment of Turing because he was gay. Turing was a brilliant English “mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst” whose work led to the breaking of World War II Germany’s Enigma codes as well as developing theories which would ultimately result in the development of the modern computer. Despite his genius and contributions, homosexuality was still considered a felony then and in 1952 he was criminally convicted of “gross indecency,” lost his security clearance, job and sentenced to chemical castration. Two years later, he committed suicide, dying from cyanide poisoning. It’s sad that it took this long for an apology, but it’s even sadder that an apology had to be made at all. Words will never be able to erase the persecution Turing and others had to endure, but lets hope Gordon Brown and the government’s statement is another positive step in the right direction.

Read the full apology here.

Rainbow colors were displayed everywhere in New York City (even Mother Nature got in on the celebration) this weekend, which culminated in the annual gay pride march down Fifth Avenue. Worldstudio presents some alternatives for a redesign of “the ubiquitous symbol of gay pride: the rainbow flag.” I think they’re a bit “meh,” but I think it’s an interesting question to ponder. What say you? I’m personally a fan of the rainbow as it’s visually catching and conveys an inclusive spirit, although it is a bit selfish to hog the entire color spectrum! Kidding!

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On this day in 1967, the Supreme Court unanimously decided in Loving v. Virginia that Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law was unconstitutional and violated both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

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