President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination June 17. The memorandum follows a review by the director of the Office of Personnel Management, John Berry, who is the highest-ranking Gay official in the Obama adminimore --------------------------------------------------

Tel Aviv, "the Gay capital of the Middle East," celebrated its 16th Pride Day on Friday, June 12, 2009, with a festive "happening" in Meir Park, followed by a giant parade of an estimated 20,000 people through the downtown streets that ended with thousands dancing on the beach and swimmimore--------------------------------------------------

When a group of Westboro Baptist Church members came to Seattle June 14 to spread hate and picket two local churches, they weren't met with anger or violence. Instead, they ran into a church choir, a strong show of Gay pride, and a bubble machine.

You've seen these guys before more --------------------------------------------------

50,000 at EuroPride
Some 50,000 people turned out for the EuroPride parade, held in Zurich this year on June 6.
Openly Lesbian Zurich Mayor Corine Mauch joined in.

Next year, the parade ventures behind the former Iron Curtain to Warsaw - a city that as recently as 2005 tried to ban pride, onmore

Northwest News

Northwest Newscompiled by Rick McKinnon -
SGN Staff Writer
AFSC SPEAKER'S BUREAU
LOOKING FOR QUEER YOUTH
The American Friends Service Committee's speaker's bureau, Out Spoken, is looking for Queer youth to interview about their life experiences and hopes for the future to expand and enrich their panel presentations. Participants will receive a gift card and much appreciation formore

Miss California USA fired;
New queen also thinks marriage is between a man and a woman
Controversial Miss California USA and Miss USA first runner-up Carrie Prejean was stripped of her California crown June 10.

One of my memories of just-elected mayor Greg Nickels was his confession at Dr. Martin Luther King Day rally that he'd never heard of Juneteenth until someone about a day before had mentioned it to him. It seemed incredibly naïve and, at the time, I thought, rather humble.