Queerty is reporting today that Robin R. Chaurasiya, a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, has been serving since she was 17, keeping her lesbianism secret to avoid falling foul of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Over time she grew sick of serving her country when her country wouldn't treat her as an equal. She had a civil union ceremony with her partner and came out to her superiors in a letter, expecting to be discharged.

However her commander has refused to discharge her, stating that because Lt Chaurasiya made her statements in order to terminate her active service, and she was a valuable asset, she must stay.

As Queerty put it, "If a soldier declares herself to be gay but still wants to serve, she can be dismissed. If she declares herself to be gay but wants to leave, she must stay". It really is time that the U.S. military gets rid of the ridiculous DADT policy! But good on you Robin for going public with this hypocrisy.

Read the full story at Queerty

Anna Paquin is a New Zealand actress, most famous for winning an Oscar for The Piano at the tender age of 11, and for her roles in the X-Men movies and hot vampire series, True Blood. (And for being one of my little sister's great childhood friends - NZ is a small place you know)

This morning, WeGiveADamn.org launched their campaign for LGBT equality with video PSAs, and in one Anna declared that she is bisexual! What a nice surprise for us all (and apparently her publicist too). Even though Anna is engaged to a man (her co-star Stephen Moyer), we are happy to recognise her female same-sex desire and bestow upon her our Good Friday Lesbian of the Day.

As Emma Ruby-Sachs commented, "Paquin is a lovely addition to the club and let me say whoever recruited her... your toaster oven is in the mail."

Also good to see a star come out for political reasons in order to promote gay equality. Check out the PSA here, also featuring many other celebs such as Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg and more.

Chai Feldblum is a gay and disability activist who also happens to be a Law Professor at Georgetown University, Washington. Oh, and an out lesbian. Today President Obama appointed her to one of the seats on the five-member U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in what is known as a "recess appointment", after her appointment was blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

I don't understand American politics but I can see that this is one brilliant and hard working lesbian and we're proud to have her on the team.

Annise Parker was today elected Mayor of Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the United States. She will be the first openly gay person to lead a major U.S. city. Parker began her political career in the 1980's as an advocate for gay rights. She has been with her partner, Kathy Hubbard, for 19 years and they have three adopted children.

Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the door to history. I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office.
-Annise Parker

Rachel Maddow burst into the mainstream public eye in the lead up to the 2008 US presidential election. She hosts her own nightly news show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. She was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes Scholarship and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in politics from Oxford University. Her intelligent, well researched and refreshingly left leaning reporting has won her many fans.

Every night is a memorable night on Maddow's show, but last night was particularly satisfying as she took on and demolished ex-gay therapist Richard Cohen over his involvement in the Ugandan "Kill The Gays" bill. Watch and be astounded!

Cynthia Nixon became a huge star in the nineties as one of the four friends on Sex In The City. In 2004 she began dating Christine Marinoni and has become an outspoken activist for gay marriage and parenting rights. A few days ago she wrote an excellent article on the Huffington Post about the defeat of gay marriage legislation in the New York Senate.

Because you never know when a simple conversation can help change someone's heart and mind. Because if we keep at it "they" will finally realize that we're just people like them. Because time is on our side.
- Cynthia Nixon

Yesterday Mary Glasspool was elected the first lesbian and second openly gay bishop in the Anglican church. Her election, in a Los Angeles Episcopal diocese, will have serious consequences for the divided Anglican fellowship, as the Episcopal church supports gay and lesbian bishops and other international Anglican churches do not. A majority of Episcopal dioceses across the country must still confirm the election before she is formally appointed.

Glasspool has said that she had an intense struggle with her sexuality in college, but came to reconcile it with her calling to become a priest. She llives with her partner of 21 years, Becki Sander. She said in a statement after the vote:

Any group of people who have been oppressed because of any one, isolated aspect of their persons yearns for justice and equal rights.

Wife of the USA's most beloved lesbian, Ellen deGeneres, Portia de Rossi is a talented comedic actress in her own right, starring in the cult series Arrested Development and one of my current favourites, Better Off Ted. She's also one of the most famous celesbians hailing from my adopted land, Australia.

Today Portia went head to head on The View with right wing co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on marriage equality:

Without the word [marriage], we don’t have equal rights… Every citizen of this country should have that legal right to be married. Marriage the word actually does mean something because people who see a gay coupling as a lesser thing in society can continue to [think] it’s lesser than marriage when really it’s the exact same thing. The exact same love, the exact same commitment, love of family.

She also had a lot of other things to say about being an out actress, check it out: