Yasmin Gonzalez (left) and Amber Sewell (right), students at Okeechobee High
Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.

Good news for everyone, gay, straight, sexually active or not - A recent Florida federal court decision in an ACLU case ruled in favor of students who wanted to start a gay-straight alliance club at Okeechobee High School.

The judge decided that the federal Equal Access Act, which guarantees the right of students in public schools to form clubs had been violated and that the school’s excuse that they blocked the club due to the “abstinence only: funding they receive was no good.

The court also went on take make some great points about sex-education programs:

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Obama Global Love Fest by Martin Musatov

Interview with Lawrence Lessig by Wendy Cohen

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Ways to Green Your Move

Climate Change Activist Superglues Himself to UK Prime Minister

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Andy Kondrat:

Can Junk Mail Be Green?

Google Maps Adds Walking Directions

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Jon Popham:

Recycling Building Materials Greens Up Home Improvement

CA Hotel Owner’s Anti Same-Sex Marriage Donation Brings Boycott Calls

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Gina Telaroli:

Naming a Generation

Ebert and Roeper Exit: Time to Give a Lady the Thumbs UP

Hotelier Doug Manchester’s donation of $125,000 to overturn California’s same-sex marriage court ruling has stirred calls for a boycott of his two hotels.  The owner of the Whitetail Club and Resort, in McCall, Idaho and the Manchester Grand Hyatt and Grand del Mar Resort, both in San Diego, California, contributed the money to collect signatures for placing Proposition 8, a referendum on whether to make same-sex marriage unconstitutional in the Golden State, on the November ballot.

Mr. Manchester addressed the controversy yesterday, saying, “This really is a free-speech, First Amendment issue. While I respect everyone’s choice of partner, my Catholic faith and longtime affiliation with the Catholic Church leads me to believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman.”  

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Steven Colbert took on homophobia and intolerance during an interview with Tony Perkins the founder of the Family Research Council and a vocal opponent of gay civil unions and gay marriage. Colbert challenged Tony Perkins‘ use of religion to attack homosexuality by asking Perkins where in the bible Jesus talked about gay people. When Perkins mentioned a reference in the gospel according to Paul, Colbert responded that Paul also encourages adult circumcision. He also asked Perkins if he kept Kosher (as mandated by the Old Testament). Colbert was, of course, doing this under the guise of satire. Steven Colbert’s character was asking Perkins these difficult questions because he wanted to know how to win arguments on gay marriage. But the real Steven Colbert was asking these difficult questions to challenge Perkins: if you claim to ground yourself in a literal and narrow reading of the bible, then by all means do so, but be consistent. Just make sure you tack on adult circumcision and keeping kosher to your platform.

But Colbert is not merely a satirist taking on homophobia. He is a practicing Catholic and Sunday school teacher!

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Senator Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor today. The Associated Press reports that tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma.

The 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after a seizure at his home.

Senator Kennedy’s is one of 5 senators who publicly announced his support for same sex marriage and is a long time advocate for raising the minimum wage, gun control and women’s right to choose.

by learning more about the issues he cares about and by sending your wishes to him.

Related:

• Reactions to news of Sen. Edward M.Kennedy’s brain tumor
• All About Brain Tumors: Who’s Had Them, What The Symptoms Are and What the X-Rays Look Like

California’s Gay Marriage Ban was banned today by the California Supreme court! In the 4-3 decision, the court ruled that Proposition 22, a ban on gay marriage, is unconstitutional. This is great news for people who, you know, like, care about equal rights or whatever! Here’s why the court deemed it unconstitutional to tell people who they can and can’t marry:

In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.

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Sex And The City star Cynthia Nixon came out about her “fantastic” four-year long relationship with education activist Christine Marinoni, at a press junket promoting the “coming out” of the Sex And The City movie. Nixon’s love for Christine seems pretty unconditional: “I’m in love with [Christine] because she’s her.” And their relationship seems very democratic and healthy: “We shop and cook and raise children [Samantha, 11, and Charles, 6.]- we both pitch in.” The Emmy and Tony award-winning actress also shared the importance of positive gay role models. When Nixon came out, her children “were fine” because they have a gay uncle and lesbian godmothers.

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The Oscars honored several films which highlighted several worthy causes worth paying attention to and taking action for.

If you like the Oscars and taking action, then follow this Top 10 list of actions inspired by the films, the speeches, the parties, and the outfits featured during the Academy Awards.

1. Julie Christie, who was nominated for her amazing performance in the amazing film Away From Her, directed by the Amazing actor/filmmaker Sarah Polley, wears an orange ribbon, representing the “campaign to close Guantanamo,” which Julie says is “a very, very important issue”¦ It’s affecting the whole world.”

with Amnesty International’s online interactive Tear It Down campaign.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Several topics really stood out this week, including the Oscars as social advocacy inspiration, civil rights and Black History Month, and lots of hot news on entertainment going Green. Check out our most popular posts of the week on these subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Happy Belated “Freedom to Marry” Week!

Rosa and Raymond Parks: Valiant Valentine #5

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Nicole:

Top 10 Oscar Picks to Inspire Social Action

Cornel West: Black Thoughts On Black History Month

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Giulia:

H&M’s “Fashion Against AIDS”

Ed Begley Jr. Goes Green

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Gina:

Top 10 Best Picture Winners That Inspire

Remixing “Chicago 10″

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Kerry:

How To Set the World On Fire Without Burning Out

Eco-Brokers Cater to Green Homebuyers

I was so busy celebrating Valentine’s Day, finding guilt-free Valentine’s Day Gifts, and awarding Valiant Valentines to social action-taking couples, I didn’t have enough time to blog about Freedom To Marry Week, the great week-long holiday that celebrates marriage for all people. Freedom To Marry is an inclusive non profit organization dedicated to ending the exclusion of same-sex couples and their families from marriage.

Do you believe that people who love each other and are committed to each other also deserve to be able to marry each other? Then ! Sign the Marriage Resolution! And watch Julie Goldman and Kate McKinnon in the music video for Julie’s song Commitment Ceremony, which is both hilarious, and inspiring. Not to apply an peer pressure, but FYI, when you sign the pledge you’ll be in good company, joining fellow pledgers like Gillian Anderson, Matthew Broderick, Bea Arthur, Beck, Neve Campbell, Alan Cumming, Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen, Ellen DeGeneres, Laura Dern, David Duchovny, Nora Ephron & Nick Pileggi, Melissa Etheridge, Al Franken, Whoopi Goldberg,

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