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From the The Palm Beach Post Blog: Ken Pruitt resigns from Senate

2009 Legislative Session Wrap UpIt was another wild session up in the Tallahassee! We began the session by introducing four pro-equality bills:

This Tuesday federal anti-bullying legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Linda Sanchez of California, Carolyn McCarthy of New York and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from right here in Florida! 

A couple of weeks ago we alerted you to a dangerous election bill that crept up in the final days of session. Many of you took swift action, thousands of e-mails were sent to House and Senate leadership as well as the governor. Great news- the bill has been defeated. Leadership declared the bill dead when there was widespread public outcry over this broad reaching bill. I wanted to let you know a little more about this bill and why Equality Florida was involved in defeating it.

From the Maine governor’s office:

With hundreds of people expected, the hottest event in the bay area this Saturday will be Equality Florida's Tampa Gala - so hot, in fact, that general admission to the Gala is now SOLD OUT!

Oh, the 2010 election is SO on. Former Speaker of the Florida House, Marco Rubio (R- Miami), announced today he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. This will make for an interesting race with tough primaries for both parties. It is widely speculated Governor Charlie Crist will also be jumping in. Crist has high popularity ratings and will be a formidable opponent. Read the story here

MSNBC's David Shuster destroys the National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown over the omissions and lies in their latest ad.

Republicans kick off campaign to shine party image * Story Highlights * NEW: "Our party has taken its licks the last few cycles," Cantor says * NEW: Jeb Bush says it's time for GOP "to listen a little bit, learn a little bit" * Saturday marks first in a series of cross-country town hall meetings * Asked about the state of the GOP, Obama said, "I don't believe in crystal balls"updated 1 hour, 27 minutes ago * Next Article in Politics » * Read * VIDEOBy Rebecca SinderbrandCNNDecrease font

New film ‘Outrage!’ doesn't 'out' Gov. CristBy BETH REINHARD, [email protected]

...Had a really lovely segment on a lesbian couple getting married this afternoon in Iowa. Hugh Jackman was a guest today and was also very vocal about his support for gay marriage during the segment, and fantastic Nate Barkus, Oprah's decorator-in-chief, also discussed being gay, wanting the right to marry and coming out. Will post video if we can find it.

Pam's House Blend:: Civil Rights Redux; Change we can believe in? Is the President going back on his word?

"Hate crimes have no place in my community or anywhere else, but they are an unfortunate reality that must be addressed..." Watch Rep. Kathy Castor's impassioned speech from yesterday's debate on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act.

April 29th was a banner day for the LGBT community. The House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act for the second time with a vote of 249-175. The debate yesterday was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, offering hours of toxic falsehoods spewed by some members and heroic, poignant, and inspirational words by others. In recent weeks, Florida Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schults (Fl - 20) cosponsored the bill and was joined by Robert Wexler (Fl - 19) as both fought passionately about the need for passage.

FOXNews.com - 'Top Gun' Star Kelly McGillis Confirms Lesbian Rumors - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment Tom Cruise's girlfriend in the 1980s hit "Top Gun" confirmed in an interview the longstanding rumor that she's gay.

Here's the official statement:

Take Action: Take Action- Fight Hate Crimes

Gay Marriage Spreads Without Backlash - ABC News The culture wars are raging. But if we're in the midst of a revolution, it's hardly being televised. A flurry of state-level activity is dramatically expanding gay marriage in the United States. A court ruling in Iowa and a legislative vote in Vermont made them the third and fourth states to legalize same-sex marriage, and moves are under way for states including New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire to join them soon.

Voting-law rewrite on the wrong track OUR OPINION: Legislation veers from values that strengthen democracy