Rome, Italy City Council Votes to Establish Register for Civil Unions

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/romes-city-council-votes-to-establish-register-for-civil-unions.html

Not Really Fired: Bryan Fischer Will Continue to Spew Hate

The American Family Association is trying to lower Fischer’s profile, but he still has an AFA-affiliated radio show to promote his homophobic bile.

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Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/01/29/not-really-fired-bryan-fischer-will-continue-spew-hate

Idaho Republicans Reject Gay Rights Measure

By Laura Zuckerman
Jan 29 (Reuters) – A bill granting job and housing protections for gay and transgender people in socially conservative Idaho was stalled by Republican lawmakers on Thursday after three days of emotionally charged hearings that drew more than 1,000 residents to the Capitol.
A Republican-led House of Representatives committee voted 13-4 along party lines to prevent legislation that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to Idaho’s nondiscrimination law from being voted on in the broader chamber.
In voicing opposition to the bill, unlikely to be taken up again this year, some Republican lawmakers referenced biblical passages while others contended the measure threatened to cement the division between gays and heterosexuals.
“If we pass the bill today as it is worded, it would create a barrier between you folks in favor of adding the words and the so-called straight community and it will be a giant step backwards, not forwards,” said Republican Representative Ken Andrus.
Gay rights advocates have sought for nine years to persuade the Republican-controlled legislature to take up the proposal, a so-called Add the Words campaign that culminated last year in the arrest of protesters blocking access to legislative chambers in the Capitol in Boise.
The Idaho Human Rights Act already bans discrimination in employment, housing and in places open to the public like retail stores on such attributes as race, sex, color and religion.
Representative John McCrostie, a Democrat, urged lawmakers on Thursday to vote in favor of the provision, saying that as a gay man he would likely be mistreated at certain restaurants in Idaho “if I walked in with my husband.”
More than 20 hours of emotional testimony delivered by gay and transgender people during hearings that began Monday included an account by a transgender teen who said she was called “it” by teachers and teased by classmates to the point she had contemplated suicide.
Republican lawmakers said they worried the measure would lead to lawsuits against those who refused services to gay and transgender people based on religious beliefs.
Ten Idaho cities have adopted nondiscrimination clauses similar to the one halted Thursday and a federal appeals court in October struck down a ban on gay matrimony in Idaho.
(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Eric M. Johnson and Eric Beech)

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/idaho-gay-rights_n_6575150.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Kentucky Bill Targets Transgender Students

A new bill introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly would restrict bathroom use for transgender students.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/kentucky-bill-targets-transgender-students?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Pizza Condoms Are Officially A Thing

Just when we thought we’d seen it all, a new brand of pizza-inspired condoms have hit the market.

Russian designer Marina Malygina created a rubber for people who like sex and food equally. The condoms, which are called “Seriax,” come in a miniature-sized pizza box. Inside is a condom wrapped to look like a pepperoni pie.

Malygina says the idea came from an episode of Friends where Joey is asked the impossible question: If given one option, do you choose food or sex? The answer is obviously both.

Scroll down for other strange, cool, ridiculous, and absurd condoms…

Phosphorescent condoms

No more fumbling around in the shadows. Phosphorescent condoms glow in the dark and are appropriate in almost any situation.

Bacon condoms

For those who prefer a side of meat with their meat.

KISS “kondoms”

Because who wouldn’t want to be penetrated by the face of Gene Simmons?

Louis Vuitton condoms

These babies give whole new meaning to the term “label whore.”

“Fun Bumps” condoms

Typically when we think of bumps and genitalia, the word “fun” doesn’t exactly spring to mind. But, hey, to each his own, right?

Twilight condoms

For Vampire geeks and diehard Stephenie Meyer fans.

Condometric condoms

No more lying about how big you are on your Grindr profile. The “Condometric” comes with a ruler printed on the side to show precisely how well you measure up.

Gumby condoms

When childhood and adulthood collide.

Madonna condoms

These are obviously made exclusively for gay men.

Related stories:

WATCH: Everything You Wanted To Know About Condoms—And Then Some!

PHOTOS: Disney Princes Grab Their Crotches To Remind You To Play Safe

Which Lube Is Best For You? Astroglide’s Seven Ways To Go Around The Bases And Back Again

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/RR2pci2A8KA/pizza-condoms-are-officially-a-thing-20150129

Ford Contractor Files 'Religious Discrimination' Complaint After Being Fired for Anti-Gay Remarks

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/fordgay.html

Sally Kern Doesn't Hate Anyone, Says Sally Kern

Several pieces of legislation aim to roll back progress for LGBT Oklahomans, but one of the most prominent lawmakers behind the bills says they don’t not stem from hatred.

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Michelle Garcia

www.advocate.com/oklahoma/2015/01/29/sally-kern-doesnt-hate-anyone-says-sally-kern