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A Democratic state house primary in Chicago this February will find an openly gay man and a lesbian candidate competing against each other, but neither one makes sexual orientation a selling point.
The primary in the northwest side’s 40th district will be historic, according to local NBC news blogger Matt Bartosik.
”Columbia College instructor Joe Laiacona — […]

The Associated Press interviews Jenny Durkan, the first openly gay person to serve as a U.S. attorney. Durkan, who serves in Seattle and was confirmed by the Senate last month, spoke about her historic appointment.
“In this region I don’t think it’s very remarkable that you have someone who is gay in a position of authority, […]

Argentina could become the first country in Latin America to legalize gay marriage, pending the outcome of a debate now underway in the congress. The capital city of Buenos Aires was the first in the region to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples in 2002.
Activists and their congressional supporters would need to overcome the powerful […]

At a White House reception commemorating the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, President Barack Obama told about 300 civil rights leaders that the day was a milestone toward the fair treatment of all Americans.
 
“As a nation we’ve come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. […]

Academy Award-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has been barred from a discussion on sexuality at Hope College in Holland, Mich., because college administrators believe his gay advocacy is divisive and not educational.
Read more on this story at the Advocate.

 
Chaz Bono, the son of gay icon Cher, will be interviewed on television for the first time since announcing he will undergo gender-reassignment surgery. Bono, 40, was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart and Mark Steines at Bono’s Los Angeles home for a series of segments that will appear on the entertainment news program beginning […]

A spokesman for the Church of Scientology responded to public claims by Crash director Paul Haggis that the church is antigay, saying that the church’s San Diego branch was incorrectly put on a list of Proposition 8 supporters.
Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis denied the charges Haggis made in a letter that found its way online, according […]

AIDS experts meeting in Russia urged the country Wednesday to change its abstinence-only strategy and incorporate drug replacement therapies like methadone to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS among drug users.
The chief public health officer for Russia resisted the appeals at the regional AIDS conference, according to the Associated Press . Gennady Onishchenko said the country […]