1. I was not the reporter Beau Breedlove tried to get a stalking order against. I’m too lazy and disorganized for the job.

2. No disrespect to my colleague Ruby, but Adam Lambert’s sexuality? Meh.

3. If you get booted out of a gay bar, you should not try to get back in the same establishment 20 minutes later.

4. Number 3 is not advice I need to follow. I’m a low maintenance drunk. Ask my bartenders.

5. Don’t care how passionate you are about abortion, if you defend the murder of a doctor in a church your loon status is set in stone.

6. If the news about Sade’s new album are untrue, I’m eating a gallon of butter pecan ice cream.

7. Steak night baby!

8. Prince Harry is the king of New York City.

9. Because I loathe everything LA (the city, not the state), I’m going for Orlando in the NBA Finals.

10. Need new shoes.

Amy Brian was discharged following an investigation that began when a civilian co-worker reported to authorities Brian had been seen kissing another woman in a checkout line at a Wal-Mart store.

Brian had served in the National Guard for nine years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. She joined up in 1991 and served until 1994. In 2003 she re-enlisted.

Brian, who previously was married and has one child, said she had never tried to hide her sexuality to those she worked beside. She she came out to her family when she was deployed to Iraq.

Since DADT was enacted, more than 12,000 servicemembers have been dismissed when it was learned they are gay.  According to statistics from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network which advocates for gays in the military an average of two service members are dismissed under the law every day.

Legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was taken up in committee last year for the first time, but did not make it to a vote.

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) has reportedly been working on a new version of the bill to be filed this year, but wants a Republican to cosponsor it.

The President has said that he supports repeal of the ban, but he has called for a study that could take up to a year to determine the effect of allowing gays to serve.

The law currently prohibits workplace discrimination based on race, religion, sex, disability, national origin or ancestry.

“It’s clear that the time has come to extend the same protections from discrimination to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people that so many other Kansans already enjoy,” said Maggie Childs, chair of the Kansas Equality Coalition.

Approval by the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee moves the bill forward, but it still needs hearings and a vote by the full legislature.

Childs said she is hopeful the measure will be passed this year.  A similar bill was pulled last year when it appeared there were not enough votes in the committee to approve it.

In 2007, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius issued an Executive Order adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the non discrimination protections already extended to most State of Kansas employees.

“We need to make sure all our employees are treated with dignity and respect, and that the doors of employment are open to all,” she said at the time.

A statewide poll conducted last year asked prospective voters how they felt about firing someone merely for being gay or lesbian.

The poll by Jayhawk Associates found that 79 percent agreed that would be a poor employment practice. Of those respondents who believe it is poor practice to fire employees merely because of their sexual orientation, an overwhelming 80 percent agreed that gays and lesbians deserve the same protections from discrimination as other Kansans, and would support changing Kansas law to achieve that goal.

NORTHAMPTON, MA

Rose said: A friend and I stumbled across a pro marriage equality protest (anti prop in Northampton, MA. There was a moderately sized crowd (approx 100??) and several speakers, including a minister who’d performed many many marriage ceremonies since legalization here nearly 5 years go. The speakers were hard to hear from the back of the crowd, but the local Unitarian / Universalist church had a banner and many supporters and there were lots of placards – both pro equality and anti-prop 8 in content. One of the better ones said, “Can you believe we still have to protest this crap?” Great bunch of marching band drums and lots of rainbow umbrellas and a very vocal, happy crowd knowing they were helping in a nationwide effort. Did not see any local media.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT

freshee69 said: my husband and i went to the rally in salt lake city today and stood with thousands of our brothers and sisters to let our voices be heard. it was beautiful.

CHICAGO, IL

Ophidimancer said: I was there in Chicago when we took to the streets in a huge mass, chanting and waving signs. The turnout was amazing and more and more room had to be made for us. We totally dwarfed Dobson’s anti-rally and blocked traffic downtown for hours. Everyone stayed peaceful, at least the part of the crowd that I could see, even when people with anti-gay signs started picketing us, so that was good.

BOISE, ID

JD Morgan said: In Boise, ID (pop. 180,000) over 1,000 people showed up at Boise City Hall where speakers urged restraint to our anger and proposed that we forgive those who have trespassed against us. This protest was larger by far than our annual gay pride rally.

HOUSTON, TX

AR said: I attended the Houston rally today. It was very heart warming. However, I was deeply disappointed that more people didn’t come out for this. Ladies, you can come out in droves for a Melissa Etheridge concert or a Comets game. Where were you today?

KANSAS CITY, MO

Julia said: I attended the rally in Kansas City, MO. I am 65 years old and straight and had never attended this type of function before. I was very moved by the people and signs. I stood on the curb with the associate pastor of my church (MCC-KC) and held the church flag while across the street members of the ‘church of hate’ from Topeka, KS stood with the flag of our country on the ground under their feet and around their waist like a skirt. People passing in their cars either honked or gave a ‘thumbs up’ to us. I saw young people from GSAs in the area with their signs in support. One sign that I noticed said ‘I’m too old to wait for my civil rights’. A friend who is the mother of a gay son who was married in San Francisco went with me. We met another mother of a gay son who was married in LA just before the election. One of the speakers (a young man from GLISSEN) said that he had brought 10 straight allies with him (his co-workers). I am not good at estimating numbers of a crowd, but I’m sure there were close to 1000. I congratulate the organizers for their good work in bringing so many people together in such a short time particularly the people from the LGBT center in KC and PROMO.

Don said: I too was at the Kansas City Rally. Despite a cold day and an inadequate sound system the 1000 people did a great job of protesting our dismay yet not attacking anyone. I came with a 65 year old man whose partner of 40 years stayed home as he could not endure the cold and the standing due to arthritis. I was honored to be in their presence and call them friends.

My favorite sign was “I want my cake and to eat too!” superimposed over a wedding cake with same sex couple figures. Good job KC!

DENVER, CO

Michael said: Denver came out in mass – it was a beautiful day and every more encouraging at the throngs of people that came, chanted, and marched down 16th Street. I am proud of the gay community for coming together. For those naysayers that claim this will do little – our positive voice will do more than your negative one. At least we got up off the couches today to let the world know that we are not going to let them just VOTE away our civil rights. My hubby and I had our two daughters there, we spent a couple of hours last night making signs and talking about the significance of the rally. Our 10 year old was thrilled to be interviewed by the local media because of her “I love my gay dads” sign. If nothing more, the march left an impression on them and for that I am grateful!!!!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

hugo said: This was amazing. I was in San Francisco. Truly inspiring. We’re gonna keep going. We need to take a more active stance, though. We’ve got to fight back and make our cases. Things will change. Just look at all of the people that came out in support for our cause. I’m VERY inspired and I can’t wait to see what happens in the future.

Arkansas City Mayor Mel Kuhn won the fundraiser, in which he appeared in dark makeup and used a vulgar reference to female genitalia as his character name. The fundraiser was for Court Appointed Special Advocates, which supports foster children.

Kuhn’s apology, posted on the Web site of the Wichita branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, came after a meeting Wednesday night with officials from the organization.

“I am sincerely sorry and I sincerely apologize for the offensive nature of my actions,” Kuhn said in the statement. “I take full responsibility for my actions. The buck absolutely stops here.”

Kuhn, mayor of the city of about 11,000 people near the Oklahoma border, did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday. According to census figures from 2000, the city is about 87 percent white and nearly 5 percent black.

Kevin Myles, president of the Wichita NAACP, said in an e-mail Thursday that he and two other members met with Kuhn after learning about the performance.

The mayor told The Arkansas City Traveler newspaper before meeting with the NAACP that he got the idea for the character from the movies “Norbit” and “Big Momma’s House,” which feature black men portraying black women.

Kuhn told the newspaper that his makeup didn’t constitute blackface and that he did not really manage to carry out the character as a black woman; he said it ended up being more like a gypsy.

“I can’t do a black accent,” he said.

He admitted the character’s name was meant to be slang. The mayor also told the paper he informed CASA officials of his plans before the skit.

The Linda Groth, director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, said she noticed Kuhn’s face was darker but didn’t think he was trying to portray a different race.

“It wasn’t black, black. It was all really just tan,” she told the Traveler.

Groth said she was unaware of what the character’s name meant until a reporter explained it.

“I never heard that word,” Groth said. “But I understand exactly what you’re saying, and I’m mortified of it.”