UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, has made a video in support of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. 

"When I raise these issues, some complain that I'm pushing for 'new rights' or 'special rights' for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," Pillay says in the video. "But there is nothing new or special about the right to life and security of person, the right to freedom from discrimination."

A Lexington, Kentucky lesbian senior was banned from her own school prom when her Catholic school, Lexington Catholic High, refused to let her attend with her girlfriend. So what'd she do? Threw her own damn party, outside the school doors!

"What I experienced in the dean's office was blatant homophobia," Hope Decker told local station Lex18. "We were told that this school has Catholic principles so they couldn't let it happen. I just think it's ridiculous that a school that claims to foster love and equality is doing something like this to it's own students."

Decker's date, Tiffany Wright said, "At first I was really upset. I mean, we both cried and then I was like this is ridiculous. There's gotta be something we can do about this."

Impromptu gay-friendly party right outside the Catholic school's doors? Sounds like a solution, and probably a lot more fun, to me. No chaperons!

But the girls aren't stopping there, they've started a petition that they're sending to the school principal, president, and bishop.

It's sad they were excluded from their rite of passage, but they didn't miss much. Just a bunch of girls in tacky dresses pretending they're princesses and boys wearing ill-fitting suits hoping to get laid. Well, when I put it that way. . . THEY WERE ROBBED! 

Recently, Satarbucks vice-president Kalen Holmes released a memo to the company's U.S. partners which stated: 

“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington state legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company. We are proud of our Pride Alliance Partner Network group, which is one of the largest Employer Resource Groups for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees in the U.S., helping to raise awareness about issues in the communities where we live and work.” 

Amidst concerns from investors that Starbucks' decision to vocalize their support of same-sex marriage would be financially detrimental, especially in nations where the coffee company is expanding and homosexuality is still a contentious issue, CEO Howard Shultz has spoken out:

“I would say, candidly, since we made that decision, there has not been any dilution whatsoever in our business, and as you can see, shareholder value has increased significantly,” Schultz said. “Performance in many ways should be one of the metrics to decide whether or not this decision in any way has been dilutive, and it hasn’t.”

That hasn't stopped Starbucks shareholder and head of National Organization of Marriage's Corporate Fairness Project Jonathan Baker from starting a petition and campaign at DumpStarbucks.com. 

“Here’s our goal: If Howard Schultz and his insular Seattle liberals hear from enough of us, management will move to a more genuinely inclusive attitude toward its customers’ and partners’ diverse views on marriage,” Baker states on the NOM website. “People should be able to drink or serve a great cup of coffee without betraying their own core values on marriage.”

I believe that a President finally supporting gay citizens in a country like the U.S. is preeminent. I understand the excitement and joy over Obama's newfound stance, and I think it's a special thing. 

That sad, I find this Newsweek cover unsettling. They went there. They really went there. Rainbow halo and all. And it got me thinking: He's a little late to the gay party, so why does he get to be the life of it?

My biggest problem isn't with Obama, it's with us. We're so quick to turn our idols into saints or demons. Sometimes we even make them saints, then demons, then saints again. We praise them, build them up, make them almost God-like, then we tear them down, and don't just bring them back to earth, but often drag them in the dirt. 

It's a dangerous game we play, one that can end up hurting us. Let's keep in mind this is a man who has been evolving to the point of saying, "I think same-sex couples should be able to get married" for years. As of yet, no real action has been taken by the Obama administration to show that support. And didn't your mama ever tell you talk is cheap?

Look, I'm hopeful for the future. I'm saying my prayers that it doesn't take him another four years to become more active in his pro-gay stance, because I'm sick of all the stories I've read, and written, about gay teens killing themselves in the U.S. during Obama's first term. I am optimistic that this is a positive change for the future, and that beautiful things are waiting for us.

I just think that the halos should be reserved for real angels. The ones we've lost throughout time because they weren't accepted for who they are. Not for someone who for too long, watched us lose them, and did nothing. 

It feels like summer which means the holy trinity: beach, boys, and booze. Here's Mondo Traho, a mixtape by local DJ Maxwell Maxwell to get you in the mood! Tracks include: