After a New Year’s Eve lunch of Hot Lips pizza, the staff here at Just Out uncorked a bottle of generously donated Veuve Clicquot bubbly, poured into extravagant plastic cups (not quite the stemware pictured at right, but charming nonetheless, especially with an orange juice mixer), and toasted the passing of 2009.
Here’s — and cheers [...]

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Organizers of the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London have struck an agreement between Eminem and English gay rights groups: if the rapper will drop all homophobic lyrics from his performance, the groups will not picket the festival.
Protesters from direct action group OutRage! heavily picketed Eminem’s last shows in 2001, garnering significant media attention in [...]

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The tuneful gents of the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, fresh off the success of their “Celebrate the Season” concert, have released the following video of the year’s performances, and expressing their thanks for 2009.
Check out the merriment.

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New Hampshire’s gay marriage law takes effect on January 1st, and same-sex couples are eager to ring in the new year with wedding nuptials. As of Wednesday, 29 lesbian and 11 gay couples had secured marriage licenses since October 3rd. The licenses  expire after 90 days.

The state has recognized 809 gay couples in the [...]

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The federal judge who will consider a constitutional challenge to California’s gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, said he is seeking permission to broadcast the proceedings. Lawyers representing sponsors of the ban have, shockingly, said they oppose having the trial broadcast to the waking world.
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said he wants to record or [...]

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What the…
Everyone’s favorite harbinger of the apocalypse, Lady Gaga, is a big Susan Boyle fan. Stranger still, the Lady herself is keen to work with the Scottish reality TV phenomenon.
Boyle, who rose to stardom earlier this year as a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent and topped the charts with hits like her (admittedly lovely) cover [...]

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In the current issue of Just Out, Nick Mattos highlights a few options for ringing in 2010, including Fruitcake at Branx and bashes at Silverado, the Doug Fir, Euphoria Studios, Steam, The Eagle, and Mississippi Studios.
But wait, there’s more. The following is a verbatim rundown of events to pop up on our Facebook radar, with [...]

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Just Out received the following email yesterday from Avel Gordly, chief petitioner and spokesperson for the second, about-to-launch effort to recall Mayor Sam Adams:
With the 2009 almost behind us it’s time to start thinking again about the recall of Mayor Sam Adams. Portland is at a crossroads. We need a clean slate. We need leaders [...]

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In an irony to end all ironies, David Bahati, the author of Uganda’s highly controversial “Kill the Gays” bill, has told All Africa.com that he is in fear for his life after the disappearance of his cousin, and after receiving numerous death threats.
Additionally, Parliament speaker Edward Ssekandi said that he has received threats of wiped [...]

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A Malawi gay couple who were arrested this week and charged with “gross public indecency” for getting married, plead not guilty in a packed courthouse in Blantyre. The couple will ask for bail on Monday.
The BBC’s Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre says large crowds of onlookers went to see the couple in court.

He says some people [...]

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