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Angie Zapata's killer claims that he simply "snapped" when he learned the woman he had begun to date was transgender. Thirty-six hours after the revelation, Zapata was dead, the victim of a brutal blunt-force beating with a fire extinguisher. She was 18 years old. The killer never disputed his culpability in the murder itself. The wealth of DNA and other evidence made an innocent plea impossible. Instead, his defense attorneys requested a reduced sentence on the ground that Zapata's gender was, in itself, a "provocation." This legal strategy, often referred to as "gay panic" or, in the case of Angie Zapata, "trans panic," is still depressingly common in American courtrooms. One part temporary insanity and two parts institutionalized bigotry, its very existence precludes the family members, friends and loved ones of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) murder victims the legal remedies others take for granted.

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and Nancy Goldstein has a good piece up explaining how far gays and lesbians have come since then, and how far they have to go. She cites bans on gay marriage, higher poverty rates, lack of health care, and DADT as examples.  Sadly, 40 years after the Stonewall raid that led to riots from gays who were completely fed up with the way the cops targeted gay clubs for harassment, gays and lesbians still have to face police raids of bars based on flimsy excuses that result in police brutality.

(06-30) 19:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge said Tuesday he's inclined to leave California's ban on same-sex marriage in effect for now, but wants an early trial to determine whether the voter-approved prohibition violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equality.

Judging by the anger among many Christians toward the Da Vinci Code book and movie, some find it difficult to wrap their minds around the concept of Jesus having been sexually active. The thoughts that he might have been gay are even more difficult to handle.

Family advocates are outraged by a prom held at Boston City Hall that was open to children apparently as young as 12 featuring crossdressers, homosexual heavy petting, suspected drug use and a leather-clad doorman who teaches sexual bondage classes.

Florida ban on gay adoptions ruled unconstitutional BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER A Miami-Dade circuit judge Tuesday declared Florida's 30-year-old ban on gay adoption unconstitutional, allowing a North Miami man to adopt two foster kids he has raised since 2004. In a 53-page order that sets the stage for...

SACRAMENTO – The parents of the two children most prominently featured in the latest multi-million dollar Prop 8 political spot today termed those ads “distasteful and exploitative” and demanded that the ads be taken off the air immediately.

Californians Against Hate was established to draw attention to the major donors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. These contributors are spending tens of millions of dollars to amend the California Constitution to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Proposition 8 is a California ballot measure that would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples. Our California Constitution, the law of our land, should guarantee the same freedoms and rights to everyone. No one group should be singled out to be treated differently. Please vote NO on Prop 8 on November 4.

...For same-sex couples, divorce can be financially ruinous. Heterosexual couples claim a tax deduction for alimony payments, but that benefit is not available to gay and lesbian spouses because the Internal Revenue Service does not recognize their marriages....

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli In the interest of keeping people on their toes, here's something to keep an eye on in New Hampshire. At midnight tomorrow, civil unions for homosexual couples becomes law here. In fact, some folks plan to gather on the State House steps at midnight to exchange vows. So far the candidates haven't made much of an issue of it here. Remember that at a UNH/Fox News debate on Sept. 5, Sam Brownback was asked about the subject, and when he stood up for an amendment to ban gay marriage, the audience reaction was a mixed bag of boos and applause. One of the debate watchers in the diner, albeit a state employee union member, said: "Absolutely not. We're the state of live free or die, and people should be able to marry the person they love." Still, we're likely to see the candidates at the very least asked about it when they show up in the Granite State post-caucus, possibly in the two debates planned for the short 5-day gap.

Sponsors of a proposal to ban gay marriage in Florida said Thursday they have gathered enough signatures to put the measure before voters next year. If the required 611,009 signatures are verified, the proposed amendment to the state constitution would go on the November 2008 ballot. The state Division of Elections Web site showed the group was still 253 signatures short of its goal. John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer who heads a coalition of groups sponsoring the proposal, said elections officials had not yet verified all the signatures but he expected them to by the end of the day. If the measure goes on the ballot and passes, Florida would become the 28th state to ban gay marriage with a constitutional amendment. Florida already has a state law banning gay marriages, but Stemberger said putting it in the constitution would prevent judges from overturning the statute....

Twenty-eight retired generals and admirals released a letter on Friday urging Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ law, according to a report in Friday’s New York Times. The letter’s release marked the 14th anniversary of the policy that allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the military but only if they keep their orientation secret.

Why do people — gay or straight — need the state’s permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn’t, because marriage was a private contract between two families. The parents’ agreement to the match, not the approval of church or state, was what confirmed its validity. For 16 centuries, Christianity also defined the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s wishes. If two people claimed they had exchanged marital vows — even out alone by the haystack — the Catholic Church accepted that they were validly married....