cool straight people

A cool straight couple recently brought their 4-year-old twins [Emily and Sophie] to Brooklyn Borough Hall and the kids offered to be flower girls for whoever might need them. Their father Steve said, "As adults, we view marriage equality as our generation's civil rights struggle and wanted to be there at the making of history and to have our daughters watch and participate in this very special occasion...We didn't know anyone getting married but thought it would be fun and interesting. It was very exciting and emotional for all."

Daniel Radcliffe will receive The Trevor Project's annual Hero Award for 2011 this month. The actor will appear at the NYC gala to collect the prize and discuss his outreach to young gay people.

When hilariously raunchy comedienne Lisa Lampanelli, 49, learned that the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest her Topeka show, she vowed to donate a $1,000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis organization for each protester who showed. And, after more than 44 Westboro members, headquartered in Topeka, protested her performance there, Lampanelli followed through. The church was greedy, and said 48 people showed, so Lisa increased her donation to $50,000.

Rep. Steve Simon's [pic] speech against banning gay marriage in Minnesota’s Constitution has become an online hit. The St. Louis Park Democrat asked, “How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?” Legislative Republicans want Minnesotans to vote in 2012 on the gay marriage ban. Simon says he was speaking off the cuff after talking about the issue with friends and constituents, and that he wasn’t angling for the attention he’s getting.

Below is an interview between Iowa City's Yale Cohn and Zach Wahls, the young man who gave the impassioned and inspiring speech defending marriage equality before the Iowa House of Representatives. His speech quickly went “viral” on the internet and resulted in a flurry of national media appearances and interviews.

Daniel Radcliffe will be honored at a ceremony in New York this June for his work with The Trevor Project, the leading organization for suicide prevention efforts among GLBT youths. Radcliffe became aware of the group in '08 during his Broadway debut in a revival of "Equus." He's worked with the group since '09, appearing in public service announcements.