A group called the Lavender Effect has announced efforts to fundraise for a “world-class gay and lesbian museum” to be built in Los Angeles.

The brainchild of gay rights activist Ivy Bottini, the museum would promote LA as a center of gay culture and counteract any negative energy that may come from SoCal toward the LGBT community. The article above from the LA Weekly includes a Q&A about the potential of the new museum:

Weekly: What’s your mission or goal for the museum?

Sacher: We want to preserve our past, celebrate our present, and create our future. It’s our overall goal to advance society’s understanding and appreciation of LGBT people, and to educate the public and LGBT community about the important historical contributions of LGBT people to world civilization, as well as to California.

Bottini: We also want to demystify human sexuality and sexual identity, and showcase the full spectrum of LGBT diversity, human sexuality, and identification through immersive exhibits, cultural programs, interactive media, and scholarly research.

It’s also our goal to advance the campaign for full LGBT equality and maintain a sense of community among LGBT People. And we want to provide the resources and forum to help define the 21st century LGBTQ community.

We definitely intend to educate and inspire future generations of gays and lesbians and provide positive role models for LGBT youth.

Would you visit a high-end LGBT museum? What would you want it to offer?

The antigay group One Million Moms posted on their Facebook page that Green Lantern had come out as gay, meaning to condemn the announcement, but they received a very different response than they would have liked. Booyah. More. 

In its second recent act of LGBT-inclusive advertising, retailer JC Penney featured a real gay couple in an ad booklet for Father’s Day. 

Last month for Mother’s Day, the store included a photo of two moms and their kids. Now they’ve done the same kind of spotlight with two dads:

The booklet, being mailed to customers and also available at the JC Penney website, has a picture of gay couple Todd Koch and Cooper Smith with their children, Claire and Mason, and copy reading, “What makes Dad so cool? He’s the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver — all rolled into one. Or two.”

JC Penney is rapidly becoming my new favorite store. 

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield is facing harsh criticism from the LGBT community for saying on-air that being gay is voluntary. Corrections she made to her position don’t seem to have helped very much. 

During a segment on a morning show, Banfield was discussing an antigay pastor’s comparison of homosexuality to incest and pedophilia. She said homosexuality was the only one of these two that’s a choice:

“Pedophilia is not by choice, last I checked,” she said, before elaborating. “Again, we gotta outline here, when he says ‘they punish incest and pedophilia.’ Please. Those things are often not by choice and are crimes. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice by people. It is voluntary.”

GLAAD and others reached out to CNN immediately to condemn her comments, and she took to Twitter to clarify what she said:

“Need 2 clarify,” tweeted Banfield. “Incest and pedophelia are CRIMES & victims have no choice. Being gay is not. Relatnshps r by choice. Way of life not crime.” She followed that up with, “Being gay is not a choice. Being in consensual relationship is. I support LGBT people.”

Oh boy. People really need to watch what they say - her correction does not convince me in the least. This is a big no-no, especially for someone in media. 

Two men from South Wales won one million pounds - roughly $1.5 million - in the lottery this week. They’re believed to be the first gay couple in a civil ceremony to win more than a million dollars in the lottery, though in November 2010 a gay Canadian couple won a $50 million lottery prize.

Ian Pearce and Lyn Sexton have been together for 16 years and bought the lotto ticket on a whim. They entered into a civil ceremony six years ago (the U.K. doesn’t recognize marriage equality) and picked up their check at the same castle where they entered the ceremony.

The couple is grateful for their massive prize but say they are not sure what they’ll do with the money - besides splurge on traveling. Pearce and Sexton plan on taking their families on vacations to Egypt and Jamaica.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling. Ian and I already feel lucky as we have a nice lifestyle and we’ve had the chance to travel the world together,” Sexton said. “We’re both going to go back to work and take a year to decide what we want to do with the money,” he added.

Awesome for them! Maybe one day we’ll all be this lucky. 

DC Comics confirmed with NewNowNext that Green Lantern Alan Scott will come out as gay in the issue of EARTH TWO #2 available June 6. More. 

Marquise Brown came out as gay to his aunt when he was 16. She kicked him out immediately - he couldn’t take any of his things, and he wasn’t wearing anything but his underwear. 

This is Marquise’s account of how he overcame being homeless on and off and found support at school to ultimately become valedictorian. Sometimes things get really bad, he says, but if you work for it, you can find a way through.

I knew there were consequences for standing up for your beliefs, but I never thought I’d lose the place I’d known as home since sixth grade because of who I am. Full of anger and despair, I walked a few blocks across our neighborhood to my sister’s house. Despite having two children of her own and another baby on the way, my sister welcomed me into her home. It was a relief to finally be able to be myself, but I also had to grow up fast. …

The support of my teachers, school, and peers also helped me stay on track. GCCP supported me not just as an occasionally homeless LGBTQ teen, but as a person and as a student. The school has always been a safe place where my peers and I don’t have to hide who we are. I’ve been able to focus on my academics, and I’ll proudly graduate as the valedictorian. I’m also a senior class representative for student council, a member of my school’s National Honor Society, and one of my school’s first male cheerleaders. In addition to actively recruiting boys for the cheerleading team, this year I helped create GCCP’s student-led Gay Straight Alliance, which organized our first annual National Day of Silence. Both students and staff members chose to remain silent for the day in recognition of LGBTQ individuals who are continuing to live without the ability to express themselves.

Marquise sounds like a pretty inspiring guy. If anyone will be going to Pomona College in the fall, look him up.