Frank Bruni, a seasoned writer at the New York Times with decades of bylines under his belt, has become the first gay op-ed columnist in the publications 160-year history.

Academy Award winning writer Dustin Lance Black encounter with academic homophobia made headlines earlier this year, and today the filmmaker has decided to discuss it by penning an editorial in the Daily Beast.

You may recall that West Michigan's Christian Hope College had invited Black to the campus to screen the film that helped bring him to the Oscar stage, “Milk,” with a discussion on homosexuality to follow. Soon, the dean of Hope College had blatantly canceled the event, and went one step further by banning Black from the campus.

Though he labels the incident a "gay bashing" in the Daily Beast, he also reveals that a screening for students and faculty finally became reality, and that he got to share some face time with...

The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association understands the importance of how our community's struggles and accomplishments reverberate through writing, and has just announced the launch of the annual running for its highly-sought scholarships to ensure we remain visible. Two young GLBT journalism students will be awarded $5,000 scholarships (the Leroy F. Aarons and the Kay Longcope) from the NLGJA, based upon submitted writing samples. For more information on the annual call for submissions, visit NLGJA.org.

Sad news out of Los Angeles over the weekend.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Mike Penner, the veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter who made international headlines in 2007 when he announced he was transsexual and began working under the byline "Christine Daniels," has died.

Colleagues said today that Penner was found dead at his Los Angeles home and that suicide was the suspected cause of death. He was 52.

"He was one of the most talented writers I've ever worked with," said Times Sports Editor Mike James, adding that Penner covered numerous beats including the National Football League and sports media during his more than two-decade-long career at the paper.

"He was a gentle man, a kind man," James said. "It's just a tragedy."

Penner...