Kathy Griffin was on hand in Washington DC to appear at a planned protest at the White House to demand the repeal of the US Military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy which bans gays from openly serving in the armed forces. Famed gay rights activist, Lt. Dan Choi decided to team up with Kathy at today’s protest to ensure that their message be heard … Choi took things a bit further by handcuffing himself to the gates of the White House, resulting in his immediate arrest. Here are photos and deets from today’s DC protest:

In an act of civil disobedience, Lt. Dan Choi and Jim Pietrangelo have been arrested at the White House gates on Thursday while protesting the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Following a Human Rights Campaign rally for DADT repeal in Washington earlier today, Choi and Pietrangelo led about 100 protesters to the White House, where the two then proceeded to handcuff themselves to the gates. Choi was speaking at the HRC rally at Freedom Plaza when he asked the group’s executive director, Joe Solmonese, if he would also march to the White House. Pietrangelo was discharged from the military under DADT, while Choi’s discharge is pending. Choi is the founder of Knights Out, a West Point alumni organization supporting LGBT soldiers. “You’ve been told that the White House has a plan,” Choi told rally attendees. “But we learned this week that the president is still not fully committed. … Following this rally, I will be leading [the protest] to the White House to say ‘enough talk.’ … I am still standing, I am still fighting, I am still speaking out, and I am still gay.” Police officers had blocked the gates of the White House with yellow tape and pushed back the protesters, who were chanting DADT repeal slogans and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Kathy Griffin, who was in Washington at the behest of HRC to meet with members of Congress about DADT repeal, was also at the rally. When asked by Choi if she would march with him to the White House, Griffin responded, “Of course!” Neither Griffin nor Solmonese was seen at the White House protest, however. The HRC has released the following statement on the rally: “Today more than 1,000 people showed up at a rally — 500 of which signed up to become more involved in the fight to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ Joe Solmonese along with [gay Iraq war veteran] Eric Alva and others felt it was important to stay and engage those at the rally in ways they can continue building the pressure needed for repeal. This does nothing to diminish the actions taken by Lt. Choi and others. This is the nature of social change and everyone has a role to play.” Gay rights activist Robin McGehee was also arrested after she had apparently helped the two discharged soldiers handcuff themselves to the fence. An officer who arrested McGehee said “I can’t say anything” on why she was taken into custody.

Clearly, Lt. Choi — who has been speaking out on the repeal of DADT for many months now — felt that this act of civil disobedience was the only way to make sure his message is heard. It’s acts of protest like this that make up much of the US history of civil rights and I can’t help but be impressed by the commitment it takes to take a stand like this for the greater good. It is far too soon to tell if today’s protest will have any effect on whether or not the DADT policy gets repealed but today’s protest will surely go down in the annals of the history of gay rights in this country. I sincerely hope that Choi’s efforts today will result in the eventual repeal of the DADT policy. We’ll just have to see if the powers that be will respond favorably. What do y’all think of today’s protest in DC?

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Last night the 21st annual GLAAD Media Awards were handed out at the New York Marriott Marquis in NYC, NY in a ceremony that “recognizes and honors media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives”. ABC, Lifetime, The View’s Joy Behar and Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon were among the honored last night with GLAAD Media Awards. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals and some deets about the ceremony itself:

Joy Behar, Cynthia Nixon and the ABC drama series “Brothers & Sisters” are among this year’s recipients of media awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Presented Saturday in New York, winners of the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards also include the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the Lifetime network film “Prayers for Bobby” and a report on CNN’s “American Morning” program called “Why Will Won’t Pledge Allegiance.” The ABC daytime drama “One Life to Live” and an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” were also recognized, as were the Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo. Among winners in nonelectronic media, The New York Times was awarded for overall outstanding newspaper coverage, and Detective Comics was named outstanding comic book. “Sex and the City” star Nixon was honored with the Vito Russo Award, which is named after a founding member of GLAAD and is presented to a gay media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the gay community. Behar, a co-host of ABC’s “The View,” received the Excellence in Media Award. The GLAAD Media Awards salute fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in the media. The remainder of this year’s awards — chosen from a total of 152 nominees in 32 categories — will be presented at ceremonies held in Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and June, respectively.

Congratulations goes out to all the winners! Each year we enjoy more and more GLBT visibility in the media and that visibility should be honored and celebrated. After the jump, check out some photos from the NYC edition of the GLAAD Media Awards last night …

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Back in December we learned the AMAZING news that the Washington DC city council, the ruling body in our nation’s capital, voted to allow same-sex marriage to be legal within its boundaries and just last week we learned that couples in DC were allowed to apply for their marriage licenses … it was reported then that March 9 was the first day those couples could be legally wed and today is that historic day. Here are a couple photos of 2 same-sex couples getting LEGALLY MARRIED in Washington DC earlier today!!!

A lesbian couple together for more than a decade smiled through tears Tuesday as they became the first same-sex couple to marry in the District of Columbia, on the first day such unions are legal in the nation’s capital. Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young said they had waited years to marry. They were first in line last week to apply for a marriage license at Washington’s marriage bureau. “You are my friend, my partner, my love,” Young, 47, told Townsend, 41. “I will love you today, tomorrow and forever.” After the wedding, those present cheered as the two women embraced and cried. They have been together for 12 years and have children, according to biographical information released by the Human Rights Campaign and D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality. The new law survived a Supreme Court challenge. The measure went into effect last week, but couples had to hold off until Tuesday because of the district’s three-day waiting period. “We’re very excited,” Townsend said last week. She and Young were among 100 couples applying for licenses. The district joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in allowing same-sex couples to marry. Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Washington measure into law in December after the city council overwhelming passed it. It then went through a review period, during which Congress had an opportunity to intervene. The Supreme Court last week rejected a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect. Local courts had previously turned down lawsuits to block it … Also among the first couples to marry Tuesday were Reggie Stanley and Rocky Galloway, both 50. The couple have two daughters, Malena and Zoe Stanley-Galloway, each 15 months old, according to the biographical information released by the equality groups. Also married on Tuesday were the Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, 61, and the Rev. Lorilyn Candy Holmes, 53, of Laurel, Maryland. Both of them serve in leadership roles in the Metropolitan Community Church. The women are mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, according to the groups. During Garner and Holmes’ ceremony, a representative from their families read a statement blessing the marriage.

HOW WONDERFUL!! What a happy, happy day for the people of Washington DC and what an historic day for the United States of America. We still have a LONG way to go before marriage equality is made available to ALL citizens of the US but little by little, the right for same-sex couples to marry is becoming a reality in the US of A. These newly married couples in DC can now move to neighboring Maryland where, altho same-sex couples cannot yet legally be married there, they will be treated the same as any heterosexual married couple. This is such an important step forward for our country. While the rest of our country waits for true liberty and justice for all, we can take some comfort in the loving celebrations taking place in Washington DC today :) Much love and congrats to all the newlyweds!!!

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Okay … so I don’t usually post parody music videos but this one is just too cute for me not to. A couple of students from the University of Rochester in New York put together a gay version of Taylor Swift’s hit music video You Belong With Me. Altho the vid is pretty low budget and the music isn’t always synced with the video, it really is a sweet and poignant video I think. Here are a few screencaps:

Those of you familiar with Taylor’s original video will recognize that this version follows the same storyline … culminating in the proclamation of love for one another at the school dance. Yes, this video has a same-sex twist but the message is the same — and it’s totally adorable. Check it out in full after the jump …

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In what will very likely come as a surprise to NO ONE ON EARTH, actor Sean Hayes — known for his flamboyantly gay character Jack McFarland on Will & Grace — has finally come out of the closet (as it were) on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of The Advocate magazine. The Advocate hails Hayes’s coverstory as “the interview you’ve waited 12 years to read” but I don’t think it’s quite that dramatic. At the very least, I am pleased that Sean Hayes finally feels comfortable with himself to open up about who he is with the rest of the world:

Just Jack just came out. Four years after ending his run as Will & Grace’s scene-stealing sidekick, Sean Hayes has confirmed the long-swirling rumors of his sexuality by proudly taking this month’s cover of The Advocate. “I am who I am,” the 39-year-old Emmy winner told the magazine. “I was never in, as they say. Never.” As for why Hayes waited so long to speak so candidly about his personal life, well, there’s one simple reason: It was—and despite his sudden forthcomingness, remains—nobody’s business. “I believe that nobody owes anything to anybody,” he said. “Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don’t know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?” And despite his previous reluctance to go on record about his personal life, Hayes still rightly feels he has done more than his part for the community. “I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it. You’re welcome, Advocate.”

Sean Hayes’s spirited comments from this new Advocate magazine interview continue after the jump …

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In December, by a vote of 11-2, the Washington DC city council (which is the ruling body of our nation’s capital) determined that same-sex marriage will be legal in the District of Columbia and would go into effect in March of 2010. Just last week, in preparation for DC’s legalization of same-sex marriage, the State of Maryland determined that it would recognize the rights and privileges of same-sex couples who are legally married in the US as they would any legally married heterosexual couple. In a last ditch effort to halt the progress of marriage equality in DC, opponents petitioned the Supreme Court to intercede and stop today’s legalization of same-sex marriage … but the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, rejected the request from opponents to stop the law from going into effect:

Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday a request from opponents of gay marriage to put on hold a new law that allows same-sex couples to wed in Washington, D.C. Roberts acted right before the law takes effect on Wednesday. In December, the city council adopted a measure which adds the nation’s capital to the five states that already allow same-sex marriage. Opponents of gay marriage argued there should be a public referendum on the law, which expands the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, before it takes effect. Roberts refused to put the law on hold and said the local Board of Elections, the city’s superior court and its court of appeals all had rejected the request for a referendum. Roberts said the Supreme Court’s practice has been to defer to local court decisions on District of Columbia matters of exclusive local concern. Roberts also said the U.S. Congress has allowed the law to go into effect.

And with that last failed bid to hinder the law from going into effect, same-sex couples are now able TODAY to apply for marriage licenses in the capital of the United States of America:

Same-sex couples can start applying for marriage licenses Wednesday in Washington. Supporters say couples planned to line up before the city’s marriage bureau opened at 8:30 a.m., and some officials were expecting 200 or more people. Washington will be the sixth place in the nation where gay marriages can take place. Because of a mandatory waiting period, however, couples won’t actually be able to marry in the District of Columbia until March 9. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont currently issue licenses to same-sex couples. The city’s Moultrie courthouse, which houses the marriage bureau, is just blocks from the U.S. Capitol. To deal with the crowd expected Wednesday, the marriage bureau will bring in temporary employees to help its regular staff, courthouse spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz said. “Everybody who wants a marriage license is going to get one. It may take a little longer, but they will get their license,” Gurowitz said. To prepare for Wednesday, the marriage bureau has changed its license applications so they are gender-neutral, asking for the name of each “spouse” rather than the “bride” and “groom.” And at civil marriage ceremonies to be performed in the courthouse, a booklet for the official performing the marriage now reads, “I now pronounce you legally married” instead of “I now pronounce you man and wife.” A marriage license application costs $35, and the marriage license $10. Couples who are already registered as domestic partners in the city can convert their registration into a marriage license by paying the $10 fee. Supporters expected the day to be festive. A District of Columbia councilman who introduced the gay marriage bill planned to hand out boxes of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes to the first 200 couples in line. Terrance Heath, 41, planned to be at the courthouse with his partner, Rick Imirowicz, 43. The two have been together for 10 years and have a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old, but Heath said Wednesday feels like “a step forward.” “My husband has always been my husband to me, but having that legal recognition, that legal protection, makes it easier to deal with any number of situations,” said Heath, a writer and blogger. “If you tell people you’re married, you don’t really have to explain much beyond that.” The two, who live in Maryland, plan to marry on March 9, the first day possible.

This is a happy, very important day for the US. While same-sex couples cannot actually marry in Washington DC until March 9, they are able to apply for their marriage licenses starting today in preparation for those weddings that can legally take place starting next Tuesday! I’m still boggled that Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America, has legalized same-sex marriage and, yet, the majority of the country still outlaws the practice. Still, this is an important move forward. I am convinced I will see marriage equality come to the whole US in my lifetime … but I will fondly remember the brave first 6 places in the US — namely Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia — that forged the way for true liberty and justice for all in this country! Yay!!

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In early February we heard from Julie Benz herself about the on-screen romance she would be participating in on the ABC drama Desperate Housewives … as you may recall, Benz revealed that she would be sparking a love affair with Dana Delany’s character on the show. Last night, Benz and Delany got down to biz on DH and really heated things up on Wisteria Lane:

Desperate Housewives is set to have its first lesbian relationship. Katherine Mayfair is seduced by former stripper Robin Gallagher in the U.S. show’s new series. The scenes come after a dream sequence in which Katherine, played by actress Dana Delany, is left stunned when new housemate Robin strips off after spilling maple syrup on her bra. Robin, played by Julie Benz, wipes it off with her finger, after which Katherine steps forward and goes to unhook her bra. On this occasion the steamy scenes are simply a dream and Katherine wakes up with a start. But later in the episode the dreams become reality when the pair end up naked together in bed. Benz, who recently joined the show, said filming the scenes was fun. ‘Dana’s a great kisser,’ she said. ‘Joining the cast of Desperate Housewives has been nothing short of amazing. ‘The girls are all so fun to work with and have welcomed me with open arms. I’m so thrilled that there is such a buzz about my character’s relationship with Dana’s. ‘It’s really beautiful and was so fun to shoot.’

I have to admit, I did not watch last night’s ep but I’m SO thrilled that Julie Benz has been given such a prominent guest spot on Desperate Housewives. I’m not sure I believe her role will stand the test of time on the series but thus far, it’s been a pretty meaty role. After the jump, check out a few screencaps from last night’s ep featuring Benz and Delany gettin’ all cozy together — the caps may be spoilery if you’ve not yet watched the ep so be warned …

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