Equality California has had a rough go of it over the past few years. First, they were accused of messing up the Proposition 8 campaign, then they were chastised for deciding to wait until 2012 to challenge the marriage ban. But they certainly made the right decision when they chose to accept Miss California’s offer of 30 seconds of free ad time during the televised pageant this Sunday.

The group will be airing a touching little montage of a teenage girl and her two moms. It’s not too cheesy, won’t bring a tear to your eye, but it gets the job done.

The point is not really the ad, though.

Pageants are a phenomenon in all sorts of places where being gay is a serious problem. Beauty contests are important to parts of the country that never are exposed to the issue of homosexuality. We saw this during the first Prejean uproar – people were outraged that the pageant even addressed issues of sexuality at all. And that controversy did raise awareness, but it did so without much control over the message. We had Perez Hilton on our side ( not exactly a veteran gay rights spokesperson) and they had Miss Prejean (a complete dud as far as anyone can tell and certainly after the Larry King incident).

This time, that same audience (and maybe more given the news coverage) will see the issue of gay marriage as presented by a large, experienced advocacy organization. Finally, a spokesperson we can beleive in.

Sunday will be a moment, as in any campaign, where control is taken back, the issue is reframed and the agenda is refocused. If we are going to have that moment, best to have it in front of an audience that is more conservative, more sheltered and less supportive than the general population of San Francisco.

Against the pleadings of my better angels, I’m ending the week on the war of words between Adam Lambert and Out editor Aaron Hicklin. The “American Idol” silver winner and Hicklin are having a minor public disagreement. For the moment I’ll leave alone how Lambert, in his brief career, is suffering from diva-itis or how for the editor manufactured outrage is a boon for sales. The whole thing leaves me tired because once again it shows how much we yearn for heroes when they are useless. Read More: Withers: Sexuality does not make you a hero

Today, a decision was released by the International Association of Athletics Federation that Caster Semeya, the South African runner whose gender identity stirred up huge controversy after her decisive win in the 800m race at the world championships, will be permitted to keep her title and prize money.

It is, without a doubt, the right decision.

But that does not mean that this is a moment to celebrate.

The debate surrounding Semenya’s gender illustrates the real lack of understanding – around the world – for gender identity and the many permutations that exist within the spectrum of male to female.

Semenya was subjected to gender testing because of her muscular build, deep voice and quick improvement in running times. In short, she just seemed too boyish to be a girl. Read More: Ruby-Sachs: Semenya Keeps Title, But Just Begins Discussion Around Gender

Jason Mattison Jr. is dead. The Baltimore teen, who was a quick wit and adored by teachers and peers,  was found in the closet of an aunt. Raped, stabbed, and gagged. Read More: Withers: Another boy killed

Newsweek. Oh, Newsweek, Newsweek, Newsweek. What were you thinking? Were the interns in charge when you made the decision? Has the media meltdown forced you to get rid of some of your best minds, people who would have said the cover of Sarah Palin was 17 steps past wrong? Read More: Withers: Defending Sarah Palin

This Georgia story is wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to begin. A substitute math teacher is accused of putting a hit on a student (what is the deal with these subs?). Suspect Randolph Forde got into an argument with one of his charges after he asked him if he were gay. Why the math teacher needed to know this is not clear, but I have my theories (and all of them involve something illegal considering how the student is 16). Read More: Withers: Teacher accused of wanting to kill student

Yesterday, we found out that the Washington Blade, along with many other local LGBT papers and media were closing. It’s another blow to the LGBT advocacy project and a blow to print media.

Now maybe I shouldn’t knock blogging. I do it, after all, three or four times a week on two different websites. But as a blogger, I am all too aware of the pitfalls and shortcomings of our particular form of media. Blogging is generally unpaid, or paid very badly. No one is giving you budgets for investigative reporting, interviews, travel. Your greatest asset is the internet, the reporting of other papers and your own particular expertise.

So, I can pore over a recent court decision and give my opinion, but I certainly cannot go to Puerto Rico and find out exactly how the police force handles hate crimes when a 19 year old gay boy is murdered.

When you lose publications that actually report on LGBT events, you start to notice how bloggers are everywhere and reporters are scarce. You start to notice how no one is going to Puerto Rico to report on the LGBT angle.

This is a problem in all media: the rise of blogging, of recycled media, and the fall of investigative journalism. However, when a community is fighting for recognition, against discrimination and for legal equality, reporting is even more important. Officials aren’t always willing to give us the facts about LGBT related events. Reporters aren’t always worried about LGBT issues. Investigative media IS the backbone of our civil rights struggle.

I hope, against hope, that a new publication dedicated to reporting and investigating the news springs up to replace the Washington Blade and it’s sister publications. We need that more than any lobbying effort or any new liberal politician.

1. Dr. Bert Chapman writes nothing worth a darn; however, he doesn’t need to lose his gig at Purdue University.

2. I’ve taken the Human Rights Campaign to task many a time, but this morning a lift of the coffee cup for this website focusing on students at predominately black colleges and universities.

3. Need a good laugh? Or cry? Watch Donnie McClurkin expound on what it means to be gay.

4. Will marriage equality get a vote this week in New York? Wish I knew.

5.  Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong is starting to appear in bookstores.

6. Anyone reading Sarah Palin’s new book? And yes that is a serious question.

7. Anyone watch the Colts/Patriots game last night? Not a fan of the pig skin but that match had me shouting.

8. There is nothing better than someone going on an extended homophobic rant and then coming up with a lame apology.

9. Who doesn’t need Cassandra Wilson on a Monday morning?

10. Why am I always late for work?

Fun week, no?

On the one hand we’ve got Carrie Prejean, whose 15 minutes of fame feel longer than “The English Patient,” throwing a temper tantrum on “Larry King Live” for King’s audacity to ask a legitimate question about her choices in the wake of a sex tape scandal.

And on the other, we’ve got Will Phillips, the 10-year old boy who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance because he believes this country doesn’t treat gays and lesbians with “justice for all.”

Sometimes, I think God is a playwright at heart.

Prejean’s story has played out like a 60’s Bedroom farce with operatic dimensions — a dramatic moment of confrontation on national television (yeah it was a beauty pageant, and yeah Perez Hilton was her adversary, but still), a firestorm of media coverage in the wake, Prejean painting herself in the role of virtuous God-fearing woman trampled by the Big Bad Gays, half-naked pictures of her looking sort of slutty on rocks, a memoir (of course!) about the ordeal marketed to Christian conservatives, then the bombshell revelation that there are sexually explicit videos of her floating around.

Fabulous.

(And does anyone else enjoy that Carrie Prejean, who’s essentially spun celebrity out of her own narcissism, is the only celeb whose sex tape scandal doesn’t involve another person on camera with her? Always hogging the spotlight.)

Then, unexpectedly, along comes Will. Lovely, wise, understated, young Will, who in a simple gesture spoke more eloquently and powerfully than Prejean did in her entire book (called “Still Standing,” incidentally. Is she serious?). You can’t really accuse a 10-year old boy of having a political agenda or plans for a book tour, so our Will was simply doing something he believed was right. And I’m with him on this one: I want our flag to represent a country that really does what it promises.

The Will Phillips story isn’t a game-changer. It’s a lovely reminder of what standing up for your principles looks like (and it doesn’t hurt that it came from a 10-year old boy — way to make us adults look like spineless jellyfish, huh?). It would be wrong of us to make Phillips into anything more than a morale booster for the movement: he’s not a sign that sweeping generational changes have taken place, but if he becomes a lawyer, we have to recruit this kid to be a vocal leader for us!

The playwright in me would love to see this as the next scene in the play: Carrie Prejean and Will Phillips get a chance to meet. The face of a hypocritical, judgmental and narcissistic movement hell-bent on fostering inequality looks into the eyes of a ten-year old boy who stood up for equality without the promise of gain for himself.

“So, what are you famous for?” he’ll ask Prejean.

She’ll sputter and regurgitate some standard line about being persecuted for speaking her beliefs and her faith. But Phillips will see past the B.S and hear the voice in her most secret soul tell the truth.

“I’m famous being a hypocrite, which essentially means I’m famous for nothing.”

Phillips won’t judge her. If she’s even half-serious about her faith in God, she’ll get judged in time.

In the scene I’d write for them, they’re at an event where the Pledge will get spoken. And Prejean will throw her hand up to her heart and ramble the words off, putting up a good show for the cameras, not really listening to what she’s saying. And maybe she’ll glance over at Phillips, who’ll just be standing there, listening intently to the words and saying some little personal prayer-wish that the promise of the words will one day be fulfilled, and maybe she’ll get it. In a flash of understanding, she’ll get it, get what conviction and truth and integrity looks like, and the hand over her heart will feel it beat a little faster. It’s what happens when you’re surging with regret.

Probably not. But one can hope.

I know who gets my vote for man of 2009. Will Phillips. Read More: Withers: Arkansas lad makes a stand for gay rights