"Rest in Peace" in Illinois

The plans of a Kansas church motivated Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to quickly sign a bill into law that would regulate protests at funerals. Blagojevich on Wednesday signed the Let Them Rest in Peace Act, which prohibits pickets from using visual and oral "fighting words" within 200 feet of a funeral service, 30 minutes before, during and 30 minutes after the service. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, have been picketing at soldiers' funerals throughout the country because they believe the military protects a country that tolerates homosexuality, according to Shirley Phelps-Roper, an attorney for the church. The law is effective immediately. "It is pre-emptive," said Rebecca Rausch, a spokeswoman for Blagojevich. "Obviously, the governor always was going to sign it, but it became much more urgent in light of the services that will take place on Friday" in Shumway. Members of the church announced on the church Web site that they plan to attend the funeral of Army Warrant Officer 2nd Class Christopher Donaldson. Here's the story from Rebecca O'Halloran of the Springfield State Journal-Register.

Worst President Ever says Rosie

“I think he [ George W. Bush ] will go down in history as the worst president ever. The most divisive, corrupt, unjust, and by far the least intelligent.” — Rosie O’Donnell to the Denver gay magazine Exp, March 31.

Click here to get your very own 3x11.5 inch sticker seen above.

Stick flags for your Pride parade

Here are two easy-to-carry stick flags for this years Pride parade in your town. Both are screen-print nylon - the 12x18 inch one is on a wooden stick with a gold colored plastic top and the 4x6 inch one is on a plastic stick with a gold colored top. Grab a handful to give to your friends along the parade route.

The 12x18 is $3.99 and the 4x6 is $2.49

Click here to see all our flags.

Quad Cities "We Care" events now listed

Ralph Hunt's new Pride of the Quad Cities site is up and running. Ralph has listed many of the events for this years Aids Project Quad Cities "We Care" event. Here's the direct link to this year's schedule. Check out the rest of his site for upcoming events throughout the remainder of the year.

Bill Clinton's quest to defeat AIDS

The former President has written a feature article in the new issue of NEWSWEEK magazine entitled "My quest to improve care". The link is through MSNBC.com. For more information on the Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS initiative, visit clintonfoundation.org.

IL marriage amendment petition turned in

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Illinois, but a conservative group submitted 345,199 signatures to the State Board of Elections on Monday to put the question of amending the state Constitution to ban gay marriage on the Nov. 7 ballot. The referendum would not be binding. Gov. Rod Blagojevich said at a news conference Monday he would not vote in favor of banning gay marriage in the Constitution. Blagojevich’s Republican opponent in the gubernatorial election isn’t in favor of an amendment, either. “She supports civil union; she’s not in favor of gay marriage,” said Dave Loveday, a spokesman for Judy Baar Topinka. “She doesn’t think the amendment is necessary, because the law is already specific.” Here's the story from Tuesday's edition of the State Journal-Register.

One Week Til Spring Fling '06

Just a reminder that Peoria's Spring Fling '06 is coming up quickly. The event is being held this year at the East Peoria Convention Center on Saturday, April 22nd. Discount tickets are available until the 19th. Check out the Differently Normal Association'sweb site for details on all the great activities.

Separating the Birds from the Bees

“Gay pubs and clubs have become so over-run with straight revellers, attracted by the ambience of the gay scene, that they have been forced to introduce strict quotas of heterosexual partygoers. Many clubs are now operating a ‘gay majority’ door policy to ensure that such places as Canal Street in Manchester and Old Compton Street in Soho remain as gay areas. But these strategies have become so severe that genuine gay people are also being turned away if they do not manage to convince the bouncer of their sexuality.” — From an article in London’s The Independent, March 19, as printed in Chicago's Windy City Times Outlines section. Our suggestion is that everyone in the UK get either our "Yep I'm Gay" keyring or our "Straight But Not Narrow" lapel pin. We're doing our best to keep things organized.

The keyring is $4.99, the pin is $3.49.

Here's the keyring, and here's the pin.

Documents: government spied on gay groups

The Defense Department has spied on student groups that protest the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy” and the war in Iraq, according to government documents. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network received the government documentation in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed Jan. 1. The government report shows that groups at schools active in the anti-war movement were targeted. Here's the report from ELIZABETH WEILL-GREENBERG of the washingtonblade.com.

And while you're clicking around, take a look at our new "Pro-Constitution Anti-Bush" sticker. A nicely visible 3x11.5 inches.

Start With A Laff

With "news" headlines like "Gay Agenda Misplaced, Feared Lost" and "Christian Meteorologists Declare War on Rainbows", FakeGayNews.com stands out as a great place to get a smile as you head into your day. Don't miss the posting "George Michael Arrested for Making Gays Look Bad".

"...wrestling...forced me into the closet.”

The totally-out-of-context quote above is from pro wrestler Chris Kanyon. Chris Klucsarits (Kanyon's real name) recently revealed his homosexuality and, in his first interview, talked exclusively with Chicago's Windy City Times.

A sad day - Lane Evans retiring

U.S. Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL 17th Congressional District Representative) has announced his decision not to seek re-election. Rep. Evans, first elected in 1982, has an admirable record on civil right issues, including voting NO on the proposed Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and sponsored an amendment for equal rights by gender. A Vietnam-era veteran, Evans established himself as a voice for vets early in his career. He spearheaded legislation that compensated Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange and fought for more funding for veterans medical care. He became the top-ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee in 1995 and also sat on the Armed Services Committee. Some of his civil rights voting record is available at OnTheIssues.org.

Less Opposition to Gays

Public acceptance of homosexuality has increased in a number of ways in recent years, though it remains a deeply divisive issue. And opposition to gay marriage has fallen across the board, with substantial declines even among Republicans. These are among the results of the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center conducted among 1,405 adults from March 8-12. According to the survey, a 60% majority now favors allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, up from 52% in 1994, and 46% support gay adoption, up from 38% in 1999. Not surprisingly, the survey also finds that by a 58%-to-34% margin most Americans would oppose a national version of South Dakota's new law banning abortion in all cases unless the mother's life is endangered.

Tickets Ready for Spring Fling '06

The Differently Normal Association (DNA) of Peoria has announced that tickets are now available for Spring Fling '06, their fourth annual event to kick off Pride season. Last year's event was great fun, and this year features even more entertainment, food and fun. We at Rainbow Gifts will be there again this year, too, with a full load of our most popular products. All the details of this years festivities are available at the DNA web site.

Gay Activists: "neo-Nazis, the KKK and prostitutes"?

The chair of the nation's biggest St. Patrick's Day Parade marched Friday while sidestepping questions about remarks comparing gay Irish-American activists to neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and prostitutes. The parade chair, John Dunleavy, was blasted by the City Council's first openly gay leader for the remarks, which appeared in The Irish Times on Thursday. Link to coverage of the remark and parade from WashingtonBlade.com.

Gay marriage opponents rally in Iowa state capital

Nearly 1,000 opponents of gay marriage rallied outside the Iowa Statehouse on Tuesday, calling on legislators to recommend a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.The issue is bottled up in the Iowa Senate, where leading Democrats are not allowing it to come to a vote, which prevents one of the steps needed for a statewide referendum on the amendment. Several dozen high school students staged a protest next to the rally, waving banners bearing the slogan, “Keep hatred out of Iowa’s future.” Here's the story from Davenport, Iowa's, Quad City Times.

Cells natural defense against HIV

Scientists (at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, et al.) have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that cells use to fight off the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS. The findings indicate that two proteins that normally help repair cellular DNA can also destroy the DNA made by HIV after it enters a human cell. This HIV DNA is essential for the virus to survive and reproduce. The published study is referenced at biologynews.net.

Patriot Guard Riders v. Fred Phelps

CNN's Ed Lavandera recently spent time with the Phelps family of protesters, and notes the rise of the "Patriot Guard Riders", a volunteer group of motorcycle riders that came together to support family members of service personnel at their funerals after hearing that so many military families were being blindsided by the protesters. The link is to CNN.com's Behind The Scenes in US news.

Red Cross calls for equal treatment of gay blood donors

For the first time since a ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood went into effect more than two decades ago, the American Red Cross is petitioning the government to revise the guideline. The story by Andrew Keegan of the Washington Blade.

USA Today - Time to repeal 'don't tell'

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the federal government can withhold funds to universities that deny military recruiters access to their campuses. Dozens have done so to protest the "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bans anyone who reveals his or her homosexuality from military service. The schools had claimed that providing access to recruiters forces them to violate their anti-discrimination policies and free speech rights. In an opinion piece posted last night, USA Today.com calls the U.S. ban on openly gay servicemembers "an archaic and hurtful assault on people who want only to serve their country." Note: you may get a pop-up ad.