(All pics: GETTY)

One of my first personal memories of the Mormon Church was when I first saw the Mormon Temple outside of Washington, DC when I was in college. The temple itself peeked out from above the trees alongside the beltway like something out of a gothic fairytale, and some enterprising individual had spray-painted "SURRENDER DOROTHY" on an overpass in reference to the Wicked Witch's castle in The Wizard of Oz.

A few years later I actually moved to Salt Lake City, and worked literally in the shadow of the mothership at Temple Square. I became friends with a guy who had been raised Mormon and who, after he told his guidance counselor at Brigham Young University that he thought he might be gay, was administered electroshock therapy. By his institution of higher learning.

The Church is incredibly wealthy and incredibly influential, and incredibly anti-gay. Their hand in getting Proposition 8 passed in California was significant, and yesterday No on 8 supporters called them out by demonstrating outside their temple in Los Angeles. And what's more, the mainstream media has been giving the demonstration considerable (and balanced-to-positive) coverage.

I caught Milk yesterday and while I can't say too much about it now, the parallels to Harvey Milk's efforts against Prop 6 are startling. They didn't take it sitting down, and neither should we. There are more demonstrations planned, the details of which you can find after the break (we'll add more info as we get it) with a slew of pics from yesterday's rally.

A rather shocking and very powerful news story out of Fresno, California is making the rounds today: Father Geoffrey Farrow, a Catholic priest of over 20 years service to the Church, defies the instructions of the Bishops and urges his congregation to vote against Proposition 8, the initiative that would take the right to marry away from same-sex couples in the state.

In his homily, Farrow points out that "what most Catholics hear about being gay or lesbian in their parish Church is silence" and goes on to clearly defy the position of his elders, who are urging parishoners to vote for Proposition 8. "I know that thesewords will cost me dearly. But to not to speak them would rob gay and lesbian people not only of their civil rights, but of their human dignity as well."

But Farrow's defiance of the Church's stance was not his bravest move of the day. In an interview with the local ABC affiliate right before presiding over the mass, he came out as gay to the whole world, nothing that he feels it's a secondary issue to the topic at hand (after all, he is a priest and isn't going to run out and get married anyway). As he puts it, "In any event, regardless of what I or anyone else does in their life, one day you die. And on that day, were you true to your conscience, were you true to what you believe? And I think that's teh question each of us has to answer. And if the answer is no, hell already started before you died."

It's worth noting that the overall tone of the report is sympathetic to Farrow's situation, and while it offers opposing viewpoints, they're not nearly strong enough to match the power of his words and actions. His brave (and media-savvy) move isn't drawn as a scandal, it's presented as an act of revolution. Shame and silence have forced a stalemate between gays and lesbians and their faith communities for centuries, and it's men like Farrow who are brave enough to break that silence against crushing odds who are forcing the conversation on both sides.

To check out the full story and interview, head on over here.

Good morning! No better way to start the day than with a strong cup of coffee, a toasted piece of multigrain and a clip of Focus on the Family's lead hatemonger James Dobson looking like a total asshat.

On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart discussed Dobson's recent criticism of Barack Obama's quoting of dusty old Leviticus to suit his own "personal agenda". Stewart of course digs up footage of Dobson quoting the same passage, in order to use the Bible to condemn gays.

Two queer documentaries from last year are premiering on tv this week, and provide fascinating glimpses into coming out and being out.

We're All Angels profiles pop music stars Jason and deMarco, who are gay men of faith. From their Wikipedia page:

"In 2004, Jason and deMarco appeared on the cover of The Advocate magazine with their new album Spirit Pop, a 12-track album of original compositions, combining pop and inspirational genres and yielded both critical and popular acclaim. "The Advocate cover introduced us to people outside of the community of faith. It was very exciting and I definitely think it introduced us to many new people" says Jason. "The irony, however, was that we were launching our mainstream pop career while The Advocate focused on the gay Christian aspect of who we are, and so many people assumed that our music was gay and Christian. ... We've had to work at clarifying that although we are both gay and men of faith, our music is not religious, nor is it gay. ... We want it to speak to everyone, not only people of one particular faith."

You can see the trailer from We're All Angels,which premieres this Thursday on Showtime, below.

Also this week is the coming-out documentary Anyone and Everyone. It's been playing on a few select PBS stations since last year, but this weekend can be seen in wider release:

"Anyone and Everyone tells the stories of families from Utah to North Carolina and Wyoming to New York, all connected by a common thread — a gay child. This poignant and often heartbreaking documentary by first-time filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz (also the parent of a gay son) reveals a family's struggle and desire to accept a child's sexual orientation. The film features parents from a wide range of religions, ethnicities, and political leanings, all of whom discuss their initial reactions to their child's coming out. While some showed unconditional support, others struggled with their child's sexual orientation, fearing alienation from their extended family, their church, or their community. Some simply did not understand the universal nature of homosexuality, and that it can affect anyone and everyone.

You can see the trailer for Anyone and Everyone after the break, and for air times, check your local PBS station (I've always wanted to say that.)

Like many gay men, I was saddened by the death of the larger-than-life Tammy Faye Messner last year. I remember being shocked by how frail and gaunt she was she she showed up on Larry King, and when learning that she died the very next day, thinking to myself, "Well, at least she got one more moment." Despite all the shady PTL business with her ex-husband, I always believed that Tammy Faye was good at heart, and she was always supportive of the gay community. Even in the early days of AIDS, when every other televangelist was talking about "God's punishment", she was crying out (literally) for compassion and understanding.

That compassion for others has been handed down to her son, Jay Bakker, a preacher in his own right, who has taken up the cause as a gay ally. This weekend, Jay will spend the first Mother's Day since Tammy Faye's death at an event sponsored by SoulForce, who fight religious discrimination of LGBT people. They will be trying to persuade Joel Osteen, the televangelist and John McCain supporter, to join them in a non-traditional picnic on Saturday. It's obvious this weekend is going to have a special significance for Jay:

"I want to celebrate my mother's life," said Bakker, pastor of Revolution New York City, "and help spread the message she lived and preached. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as 'us' and 'them.' We hope the families of Lakewood Church will open their hearts and minds to us and sit down and have a conversation and share a meal. ... Let's put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ."

It's not the first time that Jay has come out in support of gays. On the Sundance reality series One Punk Under God, he jeopardized his entire ministry when he decided to take a stand in favor of gay marriage. It's clear that the spirit of Tammy Faye is alive and well in her son.

The other day we mentioned that a Christian TV host had made the brave decision to come out publicly as a gay man, obviously a brave move considering that the milieu isn't known to be the most gay-friendly. Azariah Southworth, the host of Christian music program The Remix, took some time out of his day yesterday to speak with me about his decision and what he expects it will mean for his career, his personal life, and his industry.

We'll be running the full interview early next week, but you can check out a preview of our chat after the break.

GodTube is a Christian alternative to YouTube, and just like its heathen counterpart, users can upload homemade videos. Unlike YouTube, though, you won't see frat guys mooning out of car windows or drunk co-eds. What you will see are some of the most unintentionally hilarious videos ever made.

Of course, the first thing I did when I was there was enter the word "homosexual" in the search bar. Most of the videos were of the boring, "Christ can change you" variety, but a few were ... priceless.

This one is my personal favorite:RAINBOWS. The rainbow is beautiful and majestic ... but did you know that the rainbow has been HIJACKED by those who seek to turn its beauty into a symbol of PERVERSION AND FILTH?

This one is called ROCK AND ROLL'S SATANIC & HOMOSEXUAL INFLUENCE, and it's about the evil influence of people like ...Tori Amos and Garth Brooks. When the narrator recites the Christina Aguilera lyrics for Genie in a Bottle, I dare you not to giggle.

More GodTube fun after the break...

Out director Roland Emmerich poses with his 10,000 BC star Steven Strait and a marzipan sculpture of Camilla Belle at the German premiere

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Here's a neat interview with gay A Raisin in the Sun producer Craig Zadan about lesbian playwright Lorraine Hansberry and the play's gay subtext. I wonder if Jerri Blank was hip to the gay themes when she appeared in Flatpoint High's production on Strangers With Candy? "Line! .... Line!"

• Bravo has a wonderful "Which (Likely Gay) Designsketeer Are YOU?" quiz over at the Project Runway site. The good news is, it's fun. The bad news is, I'm Voldemort!! (Okay, okay, Steven's perfectly wonderful. But who doesn't want to be Chris March?!)

• Little ink-marks, big change: The notoriously conservative Washington Times has officially updated its style guidelines to remove the quotation marks around "gay marriage" and now prefers "gay" over "homosexual" except when used as a clinical reference. How "progressive"!

• He's Just Wild About Harry: Daniel Radcliffe gets a big, lingering smooch from host James Corden at a theatre awards ceremony in London. Both the crowd response and Radcliffe's reaction are quite cute.

• Parts of this would be funny were it not so horrifying: the 100 best quotes from fundamentalist Christian message boards. I haven't had the chance to research how legit they are, so browse and drop jaw with discretion.

• Our pal and resident As the World Turns completist Anthony directed us to the preview for tomorrow's episode, where the boys set out on their decidedly non-Ferris-Bueller-like roadtrip with their new friend.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

In case you missed it, former Presidential candidate Dick Gephardt and his lesbian daughter Chrissy appeared on Wolf Blitzer last night to talk about their participation in the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So. (That's them in the poster.)

We have an interview with the director Daniel Karslake running on the main page today, and I encourage those folks living in cities where the film is playing to check it out, as it gives a long-overdue voice to families and theologians alike who refuse to accept the popular wisdom that faith and gayness are mutually exclusive.

And of course it's always encouraging to see a politician (or any parent, for that matter) speak in unconditional support of their gay child.

• Ugly Betty has found a boyfriend for Marc (Michael Urie), and his name is David Blue (above). Well, actually, his name is Cliff, but he's played by David Blue. Cliff is a photographer. David is an actor.
• Here's a game in which you have to pick out which word doesn't fit in the list: American Idol ... homophobic ... "Christian songs with Christian principles" ... eggplant.
• I'm pleasantly surprised to be linking to California Catholic Daily for their refreshingly neutral (and near-positive) story on gay-themed play The Other Side of the Closet, which tours schools in the state to teach a lesson of tolerance for (and celebration of) different lifestyles.
• Since religion seems to be a hot topic today, here's an interesting piece on the rift over gay unions in black religious communities in and around Washington, DC.
• Will Arnett will return to 30 Rock next season as the gay executive out for Jack's job, this time with a beard bride-to-be. I didn't find the first visit particularly funny (despite the quality Kenneth the Page time that came with it), but you never know.