I recently watched the first season of the hit Logo series Noah's Arc on DVD. While I doubt there are any Emmy nominations in the show's near future, it's really sweet and entertaining. I count myself among its fans now. One of the things that most impressed me was the way it didn't shy away from tackling tough subjects with unflinching honesty. One of the topics raised was the way gay men have a tendency to worship the heterosexual image. In white culture, it's the whole Abercrombie model obsession. In the African-American culture, they call them homothugs.

It ain't easy being green. The plaintive lament of Kermit the Frog became this year's theme at the annual meeting of Blind Friends of Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual People, BFLAG for short. The message was one of self-acceptance, but the group is also fighting for another kind of acceptance: inclusion in the gay community.

Many people with disabilities feel isolated from society, but gay people with disabilities often face further challenges.

"The LGBT community is not really inclusive when it comes to the disabled," says Ken, a 41-year-old blind gay man.

Every June, the debate begins: Is Gay Pride still important? Do we need the parades and festivals? Is a month to celebrate homosexuality really necessary? Many claim that these public displays of all things gay do more harm than good. Yet, in these times of widespread, government-sanctioned homophobia, pride events are more popular than ever. What gives?

The simple answer may be that pride is empowering. Many gays and lesbians feel isolated in a heterosexual world, but pride events remind them that they are far from alone.

When the final episode of Will & Grace aired on Thursday, May 18, an era came to an end. I hadn't watched the show in years -- since halfway through the season when Grace and Leo married the first time -- but I tuned in to the finale for sentimental reasons. I was glad I did since I thought it was a really well-written episode, a fitting tribute to a show that, while far from perfect, was certainly groundbreaking.

It's no secret that I've been pretty dissatisfied with the portrayal of gays and lesbians on television -- especially the major networks -- for some time. It seems like if a show has a gay or lesbian character at all, he or she only exists to be the butt of jokes. At the very least, these shows very rarely depict our lives realistically -- which is why a recent storyline on the long running CBS soap opera As the World Turns is getting so much attention.

Before I go any farther, I have a confession to make. I don't watch daytime television. At all. I'd never get any work done if I did.

Silence is deadly.

We've all heard it before, but have you ever really stopped to think how true it is? In so many cases, silence can be literally lethal. Think about unreported abuse, an overlooked cry for help, an ignored genocide.

In the Darfur region of Sudan, a human tragedy is taking place and there has been precious little said or done about it. So far, that silence has taken 400,000 lives. How did it get to this point?

In 2003, warfare broke out in the African nation when two loosely allied rebel groups attacked military installations.

TV Guide has long included Cheers and Jeers in their weekly entertainment magazine. I decided to borrow the format this week for a rant and rave of my own. In other words, I couldn't choose just one topic.

Cheers to Indiana...
...for a recent positive ruling concerning gay parents. In a precedent setting case, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday in favor of allowing a lesbian couple to be the joint parents of a child. The decision reversed a lower court ruling that only married couples could co-adopt a child.

Do closeted celebrities owe it to their public to come out?

It's a question that many have tackled, but few have come up with a satisfactory answer. Pundits and columnists argue their point of view every time a famous actor or singer comes out. Some believe, to quote from Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. In other words, if you're going to accept celebrity and all that comes with it, you also become a role model simply by being in the public eye. Others believe that becoming famous doesn't negate one's right to privacy.

The Conservatives would like the world to believe that they've cornered the market on morality. They loudly trumpet their family values, which they claim include honor, integrity, monogamy, and decency. Someone needs to remind them that actions speak louder than words. These are the same men and women who are constantly being caught in lies, affairs, and scandals. It always interests me that they're so concerned about the sanctity of everyone's marriage but their own.