Madonna mania, Tyler Clementi letters, DOMA

By Project Q Atlanta | Feb 3, 2012 | 2:20 PM

Madonna’s “Gimme All Your Luvin” video instant hit, gay big brother’s letters to Rutgers suicide victim, disabled lesbian Army vet sues over DOMA, Komen reversal on breast cancer funds, high school hands out “ex-gay” fliers, and more LGBT headlines.

• Gay brother’s letters to Tyler Clementi. The Rutgers sophomore who took his own life (top photo, right) amid a spate of gay suicides in 2010 is remembered by his gay older brother James (left) in a series of heartbreaking letters that shed light on the younger brother’s life and the media spotlight on his death.

• Susan G. Komen apologizes for cutting off Planned Parenthood. The breast cancer foundation will revise the policy that took away breast exam funds from Planned Parenthood. “We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons … They were not,” said Komen’s founder. She also denies that Atlanta board member and anti-gay, anti-choice wonk Karen Handel was involved. The Komen reversal won’t stop Atlanta’s lesbian-led Health Initiative effort.

• Activists disheartened court won’t release Prop 8 trial recordings. Saying the public is being denied an opportunity to bear witness to the “baseless campaign of fear” that opponents waged during the proceedings that declared California’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional, an attorney says Prop 8 backers are afraid to show America how ridiculous their arguments are.

• Homophobic blogger ordered to pay gay couple $425,000. The Mississippi blogger went on a personal online campaign against gay campsite couple Charles Leary and Vaughan Perret (middle photo). He never met the men or visited their Canadian woodland getaway but posted graphic anti-gay content and accused the owners of a series of criminal acts. A judge agreed it was harassment and awarded the damages.

• Lesbian military veteran sues over DOMA. Retired Army Sgt. Tracey Cooper-Harris, who has multiple sclerosis, filed suit because her legal spouse, Maggie Cooper-Harris is not entitled to disability compensation that married veterans get because the federal Defense of Marriage Act blocks it.

• Maryland high school distributes “ex-gay” therapy flier to students. Einstein High School in Rockville, Md., says the school board allows non-profits to pass around materials it deems useful to students, and that it supports “those with unwanted sexual attractions to seek help and information.”

• Transgender cop fired amid fraud, porn and murder scandals. A memo on the firing of Sgt. Lynn Benton alleges that he engaged in a “fraudulent marriage” to a Brazilian man in 1993, when Benton was legally female, solely so the man could qualify for U.S. citizenship. Benton was also fired for pornography on his police-issued laptop. He was also implicated in the murder trial of his wife last year, though he has not been charged.

• Madonna’s “Gimme All Your Luvin” an instant hit. The song’s football-themed video by “MDNA” (bottom photo) featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. went to No. 1 on iTunes within hours of Friday morning’s release in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl performance. Take a look and listen:

Clementi family photo via Out; Leary-Perret photo from Toronto Star; Madonna via Warner Brothers/Maverick