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Voters braved record low temperatures on Sunday to choose Finland's leader in a runoff between a veteran conservative and the first openly gay candidate from the small Greens party, seen by many as too radical for the Nordic country.

Finnish Presidential candidates Sauli Niinist, left, and Pekka Haavisto, right, prepare for a televised debate at the Finnish broadcast company YLE in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday Feb.

In June 2009, when Gov. John Lynch signed House Bill 436, New Hampshire became just the fifth state to adopt gay marriage. Since the law became effective Jan. 1, 2010, until this week, 1,861 same-gender marriages have been celebrated. We should all feel proud of that.

That's 3,722 people who call New Hampshire "home" - our neighbors and friends, co-workers and family members - making a commitment to share their love and caring for one another in marriage. A pretty decent thing for the "Live Free or Die" state.

But there are those who want to go backward. They want to repeal marriage. And there's a myth being promoted by those who oppose marriage equality. They say it was "brought" or "pushed onto" New Hampshire by out-of-state interests. They know better, but in their advertising they feel that such an untruth (I could call it worse) is persuasive.

I can attest first-hand to the fact that no one from out-of-state - no organization or individual - asked me to introduce either the civil unions bill in 2007 or gay marriage in 2009. Nor did any organization, group or political party within the state. Those of us who love New Hampshire and wanted to stop discrimination in marriage fought for change.

The true story of how we adopted marriage equality is something that should make us proud. We did it our way. The bill passed because hundreds of our citizens spoke at public hearings and thousands communicated their support to our legislators and our governor.

In a blog post, a Washington state senator and committed Christian explains her vote for gay marriage.

Miley Cyrus' op-ed column in the March issue of Glamour Magazine explains that she understands the importance of marriage equality. We're thankful she's supportive of our personal liberties. Miley writes: When I shared a picture of my tattoo on my Twitter page and said, All LOVE is equal, a lot of people mocked me-they said, What happened to you? You used to be a Christian girl! And I said, Well, if you were a true Christian, you would have your facts straight. Christianity is about love...

The snow started slowly. Unbeknownst to those of us already atop the summit of Mont Tremblant in Quebec, the entire region was about to be slammed with the year's first major snowstorm - making for some of the most joyous skiing of the season.

The head bishop of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Portland, Maine, Richard Malone, recently announced that he has created a new ministry to "help" gays with their "same-sex attraction," the Maine newspaper Bangor News reported.

A The movement for marriage equality in the United States stands on the shoulders of a centuries-long Chinese tradition, according to new information published by Rainbow Rumpus, the online magazine for kids and teens with LGBT parents.

Finding "the one" is a challenging task, and we can all use a little help. LGBT relationship expert Patrick H. Perrine brings his matchmaking and human sexuality expertise to the pages of The Rage Monthly, to discuss the challenges of finding and keeping a relationship in the LGBT community.

Gay couple Shannon and Suzanne Michaels are planning to register their civil union as soon as they can.

I guess that I shouldn't find it shocking anymore when I speak to people - many progressives, mind you - who have no idea that you can lose your job for being LGBT. As in, if your employer is a homophobe and decides they don't want to have "that perversion" in their offices, they can call you into their office, or better yet, right into the middle of the office floor and fire you, stating your sexual orientation is the sole reason for showing you the door. Period.

What do we do when personal and professional justification systems collide? If you are a counselor or a professional psychologist, to what extent do your personal beliefs and values need to align with those of the profession? A recent case involving a counselor in training is has brought this question to a head.

J.C. Penney Co Inc said on Friday it fully backs its partnership with chat show host Ellen DeGeneres after a conservative group urged the retailer to reconsider hiring DeGeneres as a spokeswoman because she is a lesbian.

The Episcopal bishop in Western Washington, in sharp disagreement with Catholic prelates, believes that same-sex marriage is "a conservative proposal" that should be adopted "not only in our society but in our church."

"It seems to me we have held our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in a Catch-22," the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, argues in a blog post published without fanfare to the diocesan website. "We say they cannot live up to our values because they cannot be married or even blessed in their union," writes Rickel.

"While many of them have begged for this, it is still not possible. What they ask of us, the church and the government, is to put boundaries around their relationship, to hold them in the same regard and with the same respect, which would also mean that we expect the same from them."

The Episcopal Church has wrestled with the issue of "inclusion" over years, gradually moving to accept gay and lesbian clergy -- two of whom have been elected as bishops -- and to provide rites for same-sex couples. Bishop Rickel predicts marriage equality with be approved at the church's upcoming General Convention.

The 2009 documentary Silence Is Death: Unheard Voices was commissioned by Palm Beach County in response to a report showing the disproportionate toll HIV/AIDS is having on Florida's black residents. Made on a $5,000 budget, the film examines homophobia and the role of the black church in the epidemic. It was produced by Lorenzo Robertson, an outreach coordinator with the Florida Department of Health.

Black men who have sex with men are especially at risk, and their life experiences are captured in the documentary. "I was raised in the church where they said if you were gay you were going to hell," recalled "Abdul," who feared he would lose his loved ones and sense of community by coming out.

According to Robertson, state officials understand they must engage black churches if they are to successfully tackle HIV/AIDS. But gay black men also must assume responsibility for their health, he said. "You can't make sure anyone else is protected, but you can protect yourself," he said.

Ricky Martin has responded to an "ex-gay" report which aired on Univision's news magazine Qui y Ahora. In a tweet, Martin wrote: "It's inborn. The heterosexual is born or made? ;o." ("@MariaESalinas Se nace. El heterosexual nace o se hace? ;o.") ...

High school students from Montgomery County, Md., were recently sent home with an anti-gay flyer created by the "ex-gay" organization, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays , Fox News reported.

On February 4, 2006, four men stabbed, stoned, clubbed, and kicked 19-year-old Zoliswa Nkonyana to death because she was openly lesbian.

Dan Truitt and Mark Queen brought the suit against Summer House Saloon to the Delaware Human Rights Commission.

At a campaign stop in Fulton, Missouri today, a gay man asked Rick Santorum, "Who are you to tell me that I don't have the same rights as anyone else in this country?" Santorum told the man that he's entitled "like any other person to equal treatment under the law" but not "special treatment" and that marriage is "for the purposes of having ... (more)