Remember this case, in which the National Center for Lesbian Rights took on a discrimination case on behalf of three allegedly straight players on San Francisco's D2, a softball team that is part of the San Francisco Gay Softball League? The players got kicked off the team after their sexuality was called into question during league play, and the lesbian lawyers found this highly offensive. Challengers on the Atlanta Mudcats team claimed the players were straight ringers, and that this violated the rule stating that there could only be two non-gay players on the team. more ›

L-Word actress and musician Leisha Hailey took to Twitter yesterday after Southwest Airlines booted her and her girlfriend from a flight for kissing. According to Hailey, "Flt. attendant said that it was a 'family' airline and kissing was not ok." She followed up with, "We were escorted off the plane for getting upset about the issue. @SouthwestAir endorses homophobic employees. No one made her accountable," going so far as to ask for a boycott, saying, "I know plenty of wonderful same sex families I would like to introduce them to. Boycott @SouthwestAir if you are gay. They don't like us." more ›

As a friend succulently pointed out just now, "Obama just ended 'don't ask don't tell.' So much for staying in tonight." Indeed. President Barack Obama today signed a certification of Congress' repeal of the United States' antiquated ban on gay men and women from serving openly in the military. The 18-year-old Clinton-era law will officially be squashed on September 20 more ›

This morning's grab bag of delights from Chuck Nevius includes the amusing story of a lesbian couple who were holding hands while browsing the Gertrude Stein exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum recently when a guard told them they had to cut it out. Allegedly he said they were not allowed to hold hands in the museum. more ›

A former SFPD cop is claiming anti-straight discrimination at the Mission police station, and now she's taking action. Mission Local reports that openly heterosexual Lori Dutra, a former patrol officer, "alleges she suffered reverse discrimination at the Mission District Police Station at the hands of Sergeant Marta McDowell, retired Sergeant Kimberly Reynolds, Sergeant Lynn Reilly, and retired Sergeant Carri Lucas-all but the latter identify as lesbians." The 33-year-old penis fan went on to claim that "non-lesbian women were treated differently" at the station. Dutra has filed suit against San Francisco for "allowing the discrimination to take place." [via Mission Local] more ›

We hate it when gays and lesbians fight, but now the SF-based National Center for Lesbian Rights has taken on a discrimination case on behalf of three straight plaintiffs, Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles and Jon Russ, who all played on D2, a softball team that is part of the San Francisco Gay Softball League. more ›

Like this. more ›

You heard it here first, folks. Well, actually, you might have heard it here, if you read that sort of thing. An "openly gay sales rep" named Valerie has come forward to say that she dated Prejean's mother, Francine Coppola. Heh. We totally believe this and might even have to buy this issue of Star. PREVIOUSLY: Trump Says Miss California Gets to Keep Crown, Miss California Partied With Famed NYC Tranny, Newsom Defends Miss California more ›

If activists, like Michael Petrelis and other Castro frequenters, really wanted to focus attention on a part of the world where gays are suffering, maybe they could take a look at Iraq. Because this is, for lack of a better word, depressing. It's unreal but all too real. Iraqi gays will be "executed in batches" this week, convicted of the crime of being queer. UK Gay News has the details. more ›

Stepping back in time 20 years, a court ruled in favor of California Lutheran High School in Riverside County after two female students were expelled for having "a bond of intimacy ... characteristic of a lesbian relationship." According to reports, the girls sued the school claiming they had violated some sort of state anti-discrimination law. But not so, said a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal. The private religious institution was deemed "not a business," so they were above the state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation. Which, as a private entity, they are. Alas. more ›

Remember the other day, we told you about a bunch of new TV ads about how gay families can actually be pleasant and likable? Well, you'll be glad to hear that the spots aired all over California during Tuesday's inauguration, which is great -- except in Los Angeles on ABC-TV. According to the folks who produced the ads, they were told they were "too controversial to air during the Inauguration, since 'many families will be watching.'" more ›

After years of being blissfully ignorant of the homosexual lifestyle, eHarmony, the online dating site that uses highly intricate and futuristic technologies to find you that perfect match, will now be required to set up a special rainbow-flavored section for gays and lesbians looking for lifetime partners. This comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by Eric McKinley, a New Jersey bear looking for a cub, accusing the online love portal of discrimination. The new very special section of eHarmony - who still maintains that they were "not found in violation of the law" - will be called "compatible partners." Hm. more ›

Dennis Herrera blasted the oddly-titled Campaign for California Families today for their latest, useless court of appeal tactic to get the gays to stop all of this damn marriage nonsense. The CCF, it seems, filed with the California Court of Appeal another benign motion to stay the California Supreme Court's May 15 decision to let the queers wed. more ›

The Sapphic set will be the first to get legally married (and, believe us, the first to get legal divorce after divorce after divorce) in San Francisco. Longtime queer activists Del Martin (87) and Phyllis Lyon (84), who were first wed in San Francisco in 2004, will re-enact their ceremony as soon as gay marriage becomes legal in California at 5 p.m. on June 16. more ›

The music starts at 8 p.m. at Ruby Skye; $50-100.

The legendary Cafe Flore might find its way to the obit page of the B.A.R. soon. Why? Because if it doesn't "get permission to have the option to serve food 24 hrs a day, to have the option to have amplified entertainment to allow a background DJ," or to get the chance to serve booze until 2 am, the place might zip up and never call again according to SaveCafeFlore. more ›

Queer rights groups freaked out, threw a tizzy (understandably), and nixed their support for a workplace discrimination civil rights bill "after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., pulled transgender people from the legislation that would protect gays and lesbians from workplace discrimination." And since nothing says action like an angry missive or online petition, a letter signed by gay groups was sent to Congress yesterday demanding them to rebuff legislation excluding transgender folk, according to the NGLTF. more ›

You know you've made it in San Francisco as a marginalized group when you start getting in fights with other marginalized groups -- so a local bisexual advocacy/social group is under fire for their policies excluding certain transgender persons. more ›

Whoops, sorry we're so late getting this post up -- we lost our notes and tore up the house before resigning ourselves to the idea that somewhere, someone is going to find a notebook with "the lighter side of rape" scrawled across the first page. That comment refers to . It's a speculative spoofing of the Patty Hearst abduction that asks the question, what if Patty'd been abducted by hilarious lesbians and subjected to comedic sexual assault? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's a recipe for wackiness! more ›

After seeing two women-centered movies at the Frameline LGBT Film Festival on Friday night, we've determined that you can tell the difference between a lesbian movie made for a mainstream audience and a lesbian movie made for lesbians by the so-called "butch" in the film. more ›

There was not a very impressive turnout at that celebration of the death of terrorist cell leader Jerry Falwell. SFist photographer Jim reports that when he passed by, there were three protesters present (including the piñata), greatly outnumbered by members of the press. For the rest of the city, though, life went blissfully on -- such was the man's clout over the sinners of San Francisco. Sadly, as irrelevant as Jerry was to our lives, organizer Michael Petrelis too lacked the authority necessary to assemble a throng of promised gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders -- unless you count the reporters, of course. (To be fair, one witness reports that some Sisters hung out for a little while, and they've always got a handful of followers. But by the time we walked by at 6:30, only one or two people remained.) more ›

With all that went down this week, we thought we thought we'd cheer everyone up by giving everyone a double dose of dogs. more ›

Yesterday was the opening night party of the Women’s Film Festival ! The night kicked off with LGBTQ films and included acoustic band Trusting Lucy performing before the show, trailers for movies on everything from Gwen Araujo to trannie-bike-messenger-speed-addicts, shorts by writer/ director/ actress and general lesbian-icon Guinevere Turner, and then a Q&A with Ms. Turner herself (yes we have a new crush). more ›

Somehow, the world of -ists managed to make it through the week despite news that Jen & Vince broke up. more ›

--How come Gavin Newsom'll stop a ski jump for Laurie Beijen but they won't do anything about the Bay Bridge closure for the couple that's been planning their Treasure Island wedding for over two years? more ›

Just LOOK at how happy those lesbians outside City Hall are! (Despite the one on the right having what looks like a dislocated elbow.) They're celebrating SFist's brand new super fantastic orgasmotronic commenting technology! Yes, friends, thanks to a team of magical elves, you can now comment of the posts faster than ever. Each post now has an expandotron-powered commenting form built right into it -- no more clicking "comments" and then waiting for the individual-entry page to load! Now you can comment from the safety and comfort of SFist's front page! Whoo! more ›

The battle over the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is being fought again in the City by the Bay for the obvious reason that the policy shows that the military doesn't love Johnnycakes. And yes, the entire reason we wrote that last sentence is so we could have the first official SFist "Johnycakes/Sopranos" reference because in another couple of weeks, the whole Johnnycakes thing will be totally played out. more ›

Local hotels are all smiles as they prepare for cable news talking heads to storm the city en masse as our local politicians have put us in the cross hairs again. And what did they do to bring this upon us again? Go after a bunch of fresh-faced kids. Well, Jesus loving fresh-faced kids, the one's who were here over the weekend for their "Battle Cry for a Generation” shindig. We here those rallies were hookup city. more ›

Reacting to criticism that the State Department voted against letting two gay rights groups into a United Nations panel, the State Department issued a statement last Friday denying that the vote was due to any sort of anti-gay bias. Instead, they did it because of a concern over pedophilia. more ›