Huebner is based in Shanghai, where he handles international arbitration and mediation cases for a U.S. firm. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, he is also the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s general counsel and previously served on the group’s board.

He also has chaired the California Law Revision Commission, served as president of the Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission and taught at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.

Obama’s announcement is a gesture just days before he speaks to a gay rights fundraising dinner on Saturday and gay activists march on Washington on Sunday.

Obama’s relationship with gay activists has been rocky since his election. Gays and lesbians objected to the invitation of evangelist Rev. Rick Warren’s to participate in Obama’s inauguration because of Warren’s support for repealing gay marriage in California. Obama responded by having Episcopalian Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the denomination’s first openly gay bishop, participate at another event.

As president, Obama hasn’t taken any concrete steps urging Congress to rescind the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they don’t disclose their sexual orientation or act on it. Some former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have acknowledged the policy is flawed.

The office of the current chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, signed off on a journal article that called for lifting the ban, arguing that the military is forcing thousands of military members to live dishonest lives.

Obama also pledged during the campaign to work for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships and determine benefits. But lawyers in his administration defended the law in a court brief. White House aides said they were only doing their jobs to back a law that was already on the books.

Officials said Obama’s slow and incremental approach to the politically charged issues has produced some gains.

“The president made commitments on those issues – not just, quite frankly, in a presidential race but ran on some of those commitments in a Senate race,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “They are commitments that are important to him and he is intent on making progress on those issues and is working with the Pentagon to ensure, at least in ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ that we make progress on it.”

Obama has expanded some federal benefits to same-sex partners, but not health benefits or pension guarantees. He has allowed State Department employees to include their same-sex partners in certain embassy programs available to opposite-sex spouses.

On Wednesday, Gibbs said the administration was working with the Office of Personnel Management to expand those benefits.

But that remains far short of his campaign rhetoric.

“At its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans,” Obama said a 2007 statement on gay issues. “It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”

The increase over 2008 fell well short of the more than twofold percentage jump in the ‘08 season compared to 2007, according to the group.

And on mainstream cable channels the number of such characters continued to drop, slipping from a total of 32 in 2008 to 25 this year. The 2007 tally was 40.

Two channels that program for gay viewers, here! and Logo, add 27 gay characters to the cable total, GLAAD said.

The 14th annual “Where We Are on TV” report released Wednesday found that 3 percent of actors appearing regularly on network drama and comedy series in the 2009-10 season will portray gay, lesbian or bisexual characters.

That’s up from 2.6 percent in the 2008-09 season. In 2007-08, it was 1.1 percent.

Only four of the 18 characters this season are nonwhite, GLAAD found, and there is only one lesbian, on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Using information provided by ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CW, the group reviewed 79 scripted series announced to air this season.

The steady increase in gay characters is promising, as are story lines that are becoming “more reflective of current issues affecting our lives,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in a statement.

Fair, accurate images of gay couples marrying, raising families and contributing to their communities help fellow Americans “come to accept and better understand” their gay family members and neighbors, he said.

Examples cited by GLAAD include a gay couple marrying on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” and a gay police officer on NBC’s “Southland” – a rare character for a crime drama.

ABC led the networks in gay representation, with 5 percent or eight characters out of 160, followed by Fox with four out of 104 (4 percent).

CBS lacked a single gay or bisexual part, the report said. The network, which has gay cast members on its reality series and daytime shows, declined comment.

Speaking to TV critics this summer, CBS programming chief Nina Tassler said the network has a commitment to diversity, including gay representation, and intended to improve.

ABC was the highest-scoring broadcast network, thanks to shows like Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters.

Showtime and the CW also received ratings of “Good.”

CBS, NBC, SyFy (formerly Sci Fi), A&E, and TBS all failed.

The most hilariously sad improvement award goes to Fox, which moved from last year’s failing grade all the way up to “Adequate,” with a note that some of the programming was “problematic.”

Hollywood Gay Mafia, looks like you still have some work to do.

In its third annual Network Responsibility Index, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of HBO’s 14 original prime-time series, 10 included content reflecting the lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people. That totaled 42 percent of the network’s programming hours, in series such as “True Blood,” “Entourage” and “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”

By contrast, on NBC and CBS only 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of prime-time hours included them, the report said.

For the report, GLAAD reviewed all prime-time programming – totaling 4,901 hours – for inclusion of such characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW) from June 1, 2008, to May 31, 2009. The study also examined all original prime-time programming – 1,213 hours – on 10 prominent cable networks. The programming included dramas, comedies, unscripted fare and newsmagazines.

Cable’s Showtime ranked second, with 26 percent of its programming hours featuring gay characters or themes. Series included “The L Word,” “Weeds” and “The United States of Tara,” a new comedy about a family whose teenage son is gay.

ABC got the highest ranking of the five broadcast networks, with 24 percent. It was the second year in a row that ABC led the broadcasters.

Among ABC series, the report cited newlyweds Kevin and Scotty on “Brothers & Sisters,” the engagement of Andrew to Dr. Alex Cominis on “Desperate Housewives” and bisexual Dr. Callie Torres on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The CW logged 20 percent, and the Fox network 11 percent, the report said.

Among the sampling of cable networks evaluated, TNT showed the largest growth, jumping to 19 percent last season from 1 percent the year before. This was largely thanks to its new drama series, “Raising the Bar,” which features gay law clerk Charlie Sagansky as a regular character, GLAAD said.

“Television shows that weave our stories into the fabric of the series present richer, more diverse representations,” said Rashad Robinson, GLAAD’s senior director of media programs.

In September, GLAAD will release its annual report evaluating gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion, and other diversity, among scripted characters scheduled to appear during the 2009-10 season. Monday’s report said TV characters in general are predominantly white, regardless of sexual orientation.

Electronic Arts and the other companies are holding the panel to try and find out ways to create more gay friendly games and put a stop to such behavior.

“These companies aren’t monoliths and are very much committed to providing a safe and fun environment for all their players – they’re just not all there yet,” wrote Justin Cole, the Director of Digital & Online Media for GLAAD and moderator for the event.

According to Cole, a 2006 University of Illinois survey of gay gamers found that 52.7 percent of those surveyed said the gaming community is “Somewhat Hostile” to gay and lesbian gamers and 14 percent said “Very Hostile.” As for the common insult “That’s so gay,” 87.7 percent of those surveyed said that they heard the phrase while gaming.

Cole also said that the gaming companies could make it easier for gamers to report such bullying, and to no longer prevent the use of the word “gay” or “lesbian” in games, which often prevents users in games to self-identify or create gay and lesbian groups and forums.

The panel is free to the public and takes place Saturday, July 18th, 2009, 11am – 1pm at Electronic Arts, 250 Shoreline Drive Redwood City, CA 94065.

Read the full San Francisco Chronicle story here. To find out more information about the panel, visit GLAAD’s website here.

GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios, who saw the film Friday, said that “the movie was a well-intentioned series of sketches – some hit the mark and some hit the gay community pretty hard and reinforce some damaging, hurtful stereotypes.”

In a style similar to his popular Borat character, Baron Cohen brings Bruno, a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashionista, into ridiculous situations with unsuspecting everyday people.

Universal Pictures, which released “Bruno,” sought GLAAD’s input on the film and invited staff members to advance screenings, Barrios said.

The organization “shared a number of concerns, and unfortunately, the scenes that we had the biggest concerns about remained in the film,” Barrios said.

One such scene shows Bruno in a hot tub with his adopted infant son and two naked men involved in a sex act.

“Scenes like that don’t help America understand the hundreds of thousands of gay families who get up every day, do the carpool then rush home to make dinner and be with their children,” Barrios said.

Similarly, the movie’s mock marriage scene “doesn’t help Americans understand the lives of gay couples who are denied the rights and protections of marriage in 43 states,” he said.

Universal Pictures maintains that “Bruno” is a satire that “uses provocative comedy to powerfully shed light on the absurdity of many kinds of intolerance and ignorance, including homophobia.”

“While any work that dares to address relevant cultural sensitivities might be misinterpreted by some or offend others, we believe the overwhelming majority of the audience will understand and appreciate the film’s inarguably positive intentions, which we’ve seen demonstrated whenever we have shown it,” the studio said in a statement.

Barrios said that while he believes the filmmakers had good intentions and that some moviegoers will see the satire, “some people in the gay community will be as troubled as GLAAD is that the movie doesn’t decrease homophobia, but decreases the public’s comfort with gay people.”

The openly gay gossip blogger said in a statement Tuesday that he would continue to say things upsetting to gay and straight people alike. The comments came after the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called for Hilton to apologize Monday for unleashing the word during an altercation at a nightclub with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

“I wish none of it had happened,” said Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira. “I can’t take it back. I did what I thought was best at the moment to stand up for myself in a nonviolent yet still assertive way. Clearly, I am not homophobic. Also, I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a spokesperson for the gay community.”

Hilton said he used the gay slur because he thought it would be the worst thing he could possibly say to will.i.am. after the musician told the blogger not to write about his band on his Web site. Police charged the band’s tour manager with assault for allegedly punching Hilton during the confrontation at a Toronto nightclub early Monday morning.

“For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is ‘the worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear’ is incredibly dangerous,” said GLAAD media programs senior director Rashad Robinson. “It legitimizes use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community.”

Earlier this year, Hilton incited a brouhaha when he asked then Miss California USA Carrie Prejean if every state should follow Vermont in legalizing same sex marriage. Her response that “marriage should be between a man and a woman” received more attention than the winner. Prejean, who was later dethroned, said she lost her crown because of the comment.

Former Sen. Jarrett Barrios tearfully shared stories of his family during debate on a proposal that would have effectively undone a court ruling making Massachusetts the first in the nation to allow gay couples to wed.

He’ll become president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Barrios is married to Democratic political strategist Doug Hattaway. They have two children.

“We’re making progress toward equality, but we’ll only achieve full equality if we change hearts and minds – and that’s what GLAAD is all about,” said Barrios.  “We’re working for the day when every one of us is accepted, respected and valued for the contributions we make to this country.  It’s an ambitious goal, but I know we can do it.  I believe in our community, and I believe in our country.”

At 40 years old, Barrios will become the youngest leader of GLAAD and, as a Cuban-American, he will be the first head of a national LGBT organization fluent in English and Spanish. He was the first openly gay person and the first Latino elected to the Massachusetts State Senate, where he represented a largely white, Catholic, working-class district.  He is an accomplished fundraiser and manager who broke fund raising records in his election campaigns and managed a multi-million dollar budget at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts.

Since 2007, Barrios has been president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, which announced his move Wednesday.
From the Associated Press and wire reports.

2. Anti-gay marriage people are not going to listen, but they need to stay away from hysteria, hyperbole, and homophobia. And they should use Stanley Kurtz more. He is their best advocate and you better read him if you want to see gay marriage a reality.

3. I’m willing to bet the majority of Americans have no trouble with torture if it keeps the country safe.

4. Aside from a university, decent coffee-shop, and bookstore, what’s the point of Princeton, New Jersey ?

5. Wendy, formerly of Prince and the Revolution, called the stiletto heeled man a “fancy lesbian.” My auntie said the same thing back in the day.

6. Who knew the folk in the Vatican had a sense of humor? Intimidation?Is that what it is? Really?

7. One of these days I’m going to go to a GLAAD Media Awards dinner. Of course, I’ll have to lose 20 pounds. My fat tummy better cooperate. It won’t but a brother needs to have goals.

8. Yes that’s me in the attached photo looking funky. I was helping out at a book reading by T Cooper. Read his stuff. The previous photo I used was some random guy. Loved his hair and his “I can’t believe you just said that nonsense to me” look.

9. I’m going to use my fame just once: Dear Beau Breedlove. Call me baby! I’m in love (and yes a 365gay.com writer said the word fame).

10. No cherry pie yet. Have no clue on what I’m waiting on.

“Religion and sexual preferences, as well, are sometimes cited as reasons for tourists to be denied entry to one country or another.”

Substituting “preference” for “orientation” is both insulting and sloppy, but it would be easy for someone who reads the article to argue that words are just words. The larger narrative of the piece was that the visa process is often overly restrictive, which suggests that writer Mitchell Higgins was not intending to make a political statement with her syntax. Maybe Higgins should just spend some quality time with the GLAAD Media Reference Guide.

But the larger implications of misusing words like “preference” was underscored over the weekend when a spokeswoman for the US Census disclosed that the 2010 census will not distinguish between gay individuals and couples and their straight counterparts. When asked whether the census would question Americans about their orientation, spokeswoman Cynthia Endo said that the census “is all about numbers. This is not about lifestyle or anything else.”

Lifestyle. Preference. Both words imply that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is a choice, and that implication opens the dangerous idea that orientation or gender identity can be changed or “cured.” Words have meanings, and in Endo’s case, her words are representative of harmful policies that have real impact. Not being correctly identified– and particularly not being counted– means the LGBT community can be disregarded as a tiny minority. If we’re going to fight for and win the equal treatment under the law we so rightly deserve, we’re going to have to be counted first.