The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star is one of the celebrities showing her support for marriage equality by posing for the NOH8 campaign, which seeks to overturn Proposition 8 in California. [via DListed]

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights group founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is trying to fire Reverend Eric Lee, the president of its Los Angeles Chapter, because he supports gay marriage and dissed Prop 8. While it’s pretty ironic that the SCLC would give him a pink slip over gay rights, that’s sadly, not the only thing funny about a leading civil rights group turning their back on a marginalized community. Reverend Lee was a key figure in the marches and rallies against the California bill. But sadly, 70 percent of black voters did not share his sentiments at the polls. While the SCLC refuses to comment on the matter, perhaps, as the WOW Report pointed out, this quote from a 2003 speech by MLK’s widow, Coretta Scott King, can come to his defense now.

“I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people. ... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.”

• Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz have teamed up with other celebs to promote the NO H8TE Campaign. [Perez Hilton]—When celebs use their fame for good, the world is a happier place.
• Sienna Miller, who hasn’t appeared on a magazine cover in two years, snags the cover of Vogue’s July issue. Inside, she dishes about her love life. [Pop Sugar] —And if you want your love life to be successful, you should probably ignore any tips she gives.
• Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Sheryl Crowe stepped out on Thursday night to support OmniPeace and “Stamp Out Violence Against Women and Girls of the Congo.” [People]

It seems the Prop 8 folks have gotten to Portia de Rossi. Ellen DeGeneres’ wife has rethought her position on gay marriage and decided to do some apologizing on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. Check it out above!

Last May, after the California State Supreme Court’s groundbreaking civil rights decision that same sex marriage bans were unconstitutional, 18,000 couples, including Ellen and Portia, were finally able to tie the knot! However, in November, Proposition 8 passed by a narrow majority, putting all those wedding bands in jeopardy!  Luckily, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger listened to the public outcry for equal rights and stepped in to try and terminate the proposition.  Today, the court began hearing oral arguments over the legality of outlawing gay marriage and promised a verdict in 90 days. So, while we gals at The Frisky keep our fingers crossed that love will conquer all the H8, after the jump listen to 10 sweet songs that show just how beautiful a same sex union can be!

In the school of life, every year is a learning experience. And 2008 certainly had its educational moments. Here’s how this year made me a hip smarty-pants and how I hope 2009 will make me a mensa-like slut.

Sigh. We hate to say it, but Obama unified the country and then disenfranchised one of his core constituent groups—the gays! When he chose the proselytizing pro-Proposition 8 pastor Rick Warren to swear him in on the upcoming Inauguration Day, everyone from gayelle talking head Rachel Maddow to Republican Governor Schwarzenegger went, “Huh?” Honestly, why Obama, why would you choose a dude whose spent the past six months shouting fire and brimstone-style slurs about homosexuals and smack-talking gay marriage by likening it to pedophilia and incest? But thanks to a pop star, it looks like the pastor might be repenting!

With the passing of Proposition 8, 2008 has left a bad taste in a lot of our mouths.  But it would be sad to let a year full of PR triumphs for one of the hardest working and most outspoken communities slip by without acknowledging all the honors and milestones that have been achieved! So, forget the h8terade, from the death of “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the first openly gay prime time news anchor, there were a lot of wins to be proud of—just take a look at the long list of Great Gay Headlines In 2008!

Across the country today, a lot people called out of work, not because they’re sick, but because they’re queer.  It’s A Day Without A Gay! This boycott hopes to show the gay community’s strength in the face of Prop 8 and other anti-gay marriage bills that passed back in November. It’s days like these that truly remind us how much we idolize our gay friends, relatives, and heroes. It got us thinking…what would happen if they called out of work every day? After the jump, 12 things we would have missed out on if gay men and women weren’t a part of our society.

By now most people know that Urban Outfitters owner Richard Hayne is a raging Republican and has donated thousands of dollars to right-wing causes, but what you might not be aware of is that Urban pulled a line of “I support gay marriage” t-shirts in California after only selling them for a week. It’s not a question of politics, really. Designer Tara Littman pointedly asks: “With quite a few pro-Obama shirts in their store and even some anti-McCain products, this clearly isn’t a company that has a problem being politically aligned, so why?” This is an especially important question to ask to ask today on Day Without A Gay, when the gay community is encouraging everyone to call in “gay” to work today and donate time to a cause instead. So, what are your thoughts? Why do you think Urban Outfitters pulled the gay marriage shirts? [Racked] 

The passing of Prop 8, the California bill banning gay marriage, has been causing marches, rallies, debates, and now it’s even spawned a musical! With an all-star line up including John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Kathy Najimy, Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, Andy Richter, and Jack Black as Jesus, here’s hoping jazz hands can stop the hate. Even if you aren’t famous and you can’t sing and dance, your voice still needs to be heard, so if you want to do your part, Join The Impact. [Funny Or Die]

2008 is almost history, and it definitely made some. We saw plenty of highs—the election of the first African-American President—and lows—the stock market dip—but as we look back at a year of extremes, our jaw still drops at these unbelievably shocking moments…

Last night, I got to sneak a peak of the movie “Milk”, which opens in theaters on November 26th, and James Franco naked, swimming in a pool. I’m not sure which one was more life changing, the booty or the biopic,  but they were both even better than I had dreamed. “Milk,” about the life and times of Harvey Milk, the first gay man elected to public office back in the 1970s, seems unbelievably relevant today with the passing of Prop 8 earlier this month. While the film was shot long before the recent rallies, eerily enough, Milk was largely responsible for stopping California’s Prop 6, which would have made it legal to fire any employee and deny them housing simply because they were gay. The interwoven documentary footage from Milk’s protests look almost identical to that of this past weekend’s Join The Impact nationwide march—same cause, different decade. 

Thanks for sending us your pics from the anti-Proposition 8 protests that took place around the country this past Saturday! We wish we could post all of them, but instead we picked out our favorites (see above and after the jump). I still think the signs in NYC were the most clever, though big props to Orlando for the sign above!

I saw some sweet signs at the anti-Prop 8 rally in NYC this weekend, but surely you saw some awesome ones as well as the rallies in your town. Send your pics to tips@thefrisky.com, and we’ll put the best ones up in a slideshow this afternoon!

I went to the Proposition 8 protest in New York City today with my mom and it was awesome. There were so many people and such a great energy in the air. Kim from “America’s Next Top Model” spoke! Best of all, there were some seriously awesome signs. Some of my faves above and after the jump…