Monkee Davy Jones | 1945-2012 : Watch the hit '60s TV show's opening and closing credits

In memory of Monkee Davy Jones, who died Wednesday at age 66 of an apparent heart attack in Martin County, Fla.

Update: Just before he died, Tyler Clementi wrote to complain he was 'uncomfortable' with roommate

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J -- Jurors in the trial of a student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate kissing another man can't hear about an email passage in which the alleged victim referred to the defendant's behavior as "wildly inappropriate," a judge decided Wednesday.

But the jury can hear about another part of the email in which Tyler Clementi said he believed his privacy had been violated, the judge ruled. The email said Clementi was "extremely uncomfortable sharing a room with someone who would act in this manner."

Clementi killed himself shortly afterward.

Click here to read the complete article and for updates.

Doors open for potential gay lawmakers in Tallahassee

BY MARC CAPUTO, [email protected]

Miami Beach is buzzing that, for the first time in Florida history, an openly gay state legislator could win office and sit in the state House.

The promise of a first-ever gay lawmaker became a real possibility last week when Rep. Richard Steinberg resigned Friday amid a scandal involving inappropriate sex-text messages he sent to a female federal prosecutor.

At the same time, the Legislature has signed off on new legislative maps that rejigger the boundaries of Steinberg’s District 106, which has all of the gay “mecca” of Miami Beach, said C.J. Ortuño, executive director of SAVE Dade.

The new district is among the most liberal and Democratic in the state.

“We have never had the opportunity that this new district presents for the LGBT community,” said Ortuño, using the shorthand for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “We are going to be contacting people in the community,” he said, “planting the seed and watch for a reaction.”

Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora, who is openly gay, said he may run for Steinberg’s seat.

Click here to read the complete article.

Californians now favor gay marriage 59-34 percent

From The Miami Herald's sister paper in California, The Sacramento Bee:

By Dan Smith and Torey Van Oot, [email protected]

A new poll shows gay marriage has arrived in California – in public opinion if not in state lawbooks.

Golden State registered voters now favor same-sex unions by 59 percent to 34 percent, a 25-point gap that is the largest margin of support for the issue in the three-plus decades the Field Poll has been asking the question.

The new Field survey shows support has leapt markedly in the three and a half years since California voters approved Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent.

The poll showed increases in support virtually across the board – among voters under 64, non-white voters, Catholics, Republicans and nonpartisans.

Click here to read the complete article.

2012 Winter Party Festival launches updated iPhone app in time for Feb. 29 opening

Winter Party Festival begins today and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has introduced a new version of the event's free iPhone app sponsored by Jackson Health System.

Click here to download from the iTunes store.

About the app:

WINTER PARTY

The Winter Party app, sponsored by Jackson Health System, is a great tool for all attendees for on-the-go information before and throughout the Festival. We're excited to bring it to you just in time for this year's event. Be sure to install it before arriving in South Florida to stay up-to-date with Festival's headlines. The app allows users to:

•Follow the Festival's Facebook feed
•View and RSVP to events
•Map the events so you know where you’re going
•Purchase official event tickets and passes
•Access key contact information
•Share content with your contacts
•Listen to exclusive music

WHAT WE DO – About Winter Party Festival

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force produces one of the world's biggest and best-loved celebrations for the LGBT community in one of the world's hottest destinations, Miami Beach!

Over 10,000 guests from around the world attend our annual six-day extravaganza featuring the most spectacular venues, the most unforgettable parties, a wide-range of community events, Women’s Winter Party and the best international DJ talent.

Launched in 1994 as a one-time charity dance event on the sands of beautiful South Beach, Winter Party Festival has evolved into a week-long series of events benefiting the LGBT community nationally and locally. A portion of the net proceeds of the Festival support the Task Force’s efforts to build power, take action and create change for LGBT people and their families. The majority of the proceeds are donated to local service organizations through a grant-making process administered by The Miami Foundation.

WHO WE BENEFIT

For 18 years Winter Party Festival has been making a difference in people's lives and providing vital funding to organizations serving the South Florida LGBT community. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force donates the majority of the net proceeds of Winter Party Festival and the Miami Recognition Dinner to local nonprofit organizations. Since assuming responsibility for these events in 2005, the Task Force has donated nearly $1.2 million dollars to the GLBT Community Projects Fund of The Miami Foundation.

2012 DJ Line Up:
Alain Jackinsky
Alyson Calagna
Billy Lace
Brett Henrichsen
Danny Verde
Felipe Lira
Giangi Cappai
GiGi
Guga Rahner
Hector Fonseca
Herbie James
Javier Medina
Joe Gauthreaux
Paulo
Phil Romano
Rafael Calvente
ROSABEL
Run Sevim Run
Whitney Day
Willy G.

ABC News: Quick interview with Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan about kiss - now seen by millions

ABC News today has interviewed Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan. The network reports that millions have seen the photos of Morgan's first kiss with new partner Dalan Wells.

Gay marine, partner reflect on first kiss seen around the globe: 'The world went away for a few minutes'

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, [email protected]

A kiss is just a kiss unless you're a couple of strapping hunks and one is a U.S. Marine coming home from war to his male partner.

Then a Facebook photo of the big smooch goes viral and becomes a news event covered around the world.

Marine Sgt. Brandon Morgan returned Feb. 22 from Afghanistan to Hawaii and jumped into partner Dalan Wells' arms. (Morgan is 5-feet 11-inches tall; Wells is 6-foot-6.)

A friend, David Lewis, photographed the family reunion.

"With all that was going on, we didn’t even know he was there taking pictures," Morgan says. "The world went away for a few minutes."

Morgan later posted the homecoming photos on his personal Facebook page and a friend then reposted the pictures on the Gay Marines page.

Within hours Sunday, the main photo had thousands of views and had been reposted on countless other pages. News stories ran worldwide. As of Tuesday, it had about 37,000 Facebook "likes" and nearly 9,000 comments.

"I can only imagine that it went viral because we were the first men to kiss," Morgan says. Shortly after the U.S. military ended it's gay ban late last year, two female Navy petty officers publicly kissed at a Virginia homecoming ceremony.

One of the couple's Facebook friends sent at critical message to Morgan's mother, driving her to tears.

"What did you do to mess up as a mother to make him do this?" read the comment.

Says Morgan, a Christian who grew up in Oakdale, Calif., near Modesto: "She loves me and my sister, who's a lesbian. She said, if you don't like my children and how I raised them, I don't care. My mother is awesome!"

Morgan, 25, and Wells, 38, have been dating about a month-and-a half and that they've known each other a few years.

"I honestly knew I was in love with him from the first moment I met him," Morgan says, adding that before he came out he had made "a lot of mistakes," including marrying a woman.

During Morgan's six months in Afghanistan, "there was nonstop letter writing every day."

Wells, an oil painter in Oahu, says that when Morgan first asked him out, he said no.

"I didn’t know how much he loved me and how much I was in love with him," Wells says.

The photographed kiss was their first, says Morgan, who re-enlisted in the Marines in October and plans to stay in the military about 3 1/2 more years.

The men say they plan to work with the gay military group Outserve.

Wells says he's not bothered by the sudden fame. "I’m a very shy person," Wells says. "If this helps one troubled teen and gives them hope for the future, if I can help, I will."

Gallery | Drag stars help Diva celebrate pageant win in Night of 1,000 Divas at Lips in Oakland Park

Michael Goodman and Diva, lead weekend hostess at Lips in Oakland Park on Monday celebrate the Night of 1,000 Divas.

Diva has recently been named Miss State of Florida Continental Elite 2012. Now, she is seeking to win the national pageant in Chicago.

Fellow divas Elaine Lancaster, Champagne Bordeaux, Misty Eyes, Twat LaRouge, Latrice Royal, Lashauwn Beyond of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4, TP Lords, Noel Leon, Nikki Adams and Phillip Alexander, Mr. Continental 2011 helped celebrate Diva's win Monday night with a fundraiser at Lips.

Also on stage: the gay porn stars of FabScout Entertainment in Fort Lauderdale.

Click here to view a gallery from the gala. Photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.

Indian government clarifies it accepts gay sex as legal

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI -- The Indian government Tuesday clarified to the Supreme Court that it accepts a recent ruling legalizing gay sex in the country.

A lawyer told the Supreme Court that the government would not challenge a 2009 order by the Delhi High Court striking down a colonial-era law that made gay sex a crime.

The order was appealed by conservative groups and the Supreme Court is now hearing opinions from those groups as well as gay rights activists.

The latest statement comes days after another government lawyer told the court that gay sex was "highly immoral" and should be banned. The government quickly denied that lawyer's statement, prompting confusion about its stance on the law.

On Tuesday, a Supreme Court justice asked the government's lawyers to file an affidavit to reconcile the two divergent positions heard in court. Neither lawyer explained Thursday's confusion.

The 2009 high court order had said that treating consensual gay sex between adults as a crime was a violation of fundamental rights protected by India's constitution.

Sex between people of the same gender had been illegal in India since the 1860s, when a British colonial law classified it as "against the order of nature."

Prosecutions were rare, but the law was used frequently to harass people.

Over the last decade, homosexuals have slowly gained a degree of acceptance in some parts of India, especially its big cities. The last two years have also seen large gay pride parades in New Delhi and other big cities, including Mumbai and Kolkata.

Still, being gay remains deeply taboo in most of the country, and many gays and lesbians hide their sexual orientation from friends and relatives.

Miami Beach Gay Pride model shows her colors

Miami Beach Gay Pride "wishes you were here to celebrate the colors of Pride."

The latest promotion continues: "What better way to show your pride but in a swimsuit with the sun up above on the sandy shores of one of the most glamorous sandbars in the world!"

Clever ... a takeoff of the famous Coppertone ad.

Miami Beach Gay Pride weekend begins April 13. Click here for more information.