Jamie Durrant, Xbox 360 designer and long-time friend of Big Queer, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for £45,000 (approximately $66,000) for discrimination based on his sexual orientation. The software giant bought the U.K. company for which Durrant works, Lionhead Studios, two years ago. Durrant claims he began receiving harassing emails over a year ago and that his complaints to the company's human resources department were "blatantly disregarded." He agreed to refrain from filing a formal grievance and was told that a memo would be sent to Lionhead employees reminding them to "behave responsibly," but no such memo was issued and a message with the title "Fag Boy Jim" was posted in the office kitchen.

Durrant was offered counseling and was asked to sign a document agreeing not to pursue any further action against the company, but he rightfully declined. BQ reached out to Durrant to find out if he or his attorney has a copy of the proposed agreement, but he declined to comment on the issue or make any other on-the-record statements due to the pending suit. Durrant has been on sick leave due to depression and is seeking payment for lost pay and, according to the U.K. press, "hurt feelings." (We took issue with the references to our friend's "hurt feelings," but apparently "injury to feelings" is a legitimate legal complaint on the other side of the pond.)

As for Microsoft, the company has a history of providing domestic partnership benefits and has included sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policies, though its lack of support for Workplace Fairness legislation was an issue in 2005. BQ will post more information as it becomes available.

First Clay Aiken and now Lindsay Lohan? Rumors have been swirling about La Lohan’s relationship with Samantha Ronson for months but the formerly troubled (and heterosexual) actress finally spilled the beans. The 22-year-old told “Loveline” host Ted Stryker that she’s been dating the 31-year-old DJ “for a very long time.” It remains to be seen how Dina feels about this development, or whether Lohan’s tryst is just a phase a la lesbian defector Anne Heche or if it’s part of a more long-term discovery. Either way, Lohan’s public statement is likely to keep her front and center on the gossip blogs and tabloid circuit while her career—which currently consists of a recurring role on Ugly Betty and an upcoming feature in which she fakes being pregnant to avoid losing her job—continues to wane.

While the gossip rags pat themselves on the backs for claiming to know Clay Aiken was gay the first time he stepped onto the American Idol stage five years ago, the singer's admission in the upcoming issue of People magazine that he is indeed homosexual raises some larger issues for the LGBT community. In a statement, Executive Director of the Family Equality Council Jennifer Chrisler said: "Much like Rosie O'Donnell, the announcement that Clay Aiken is gay reinforces a simple reality: the American public can no longer say it does not know a gay or lesbian parent. Clay Aiken's desire to raise a child in an open and honest manner will make his life, and his son's, all the better. We hope he and his son find all the happiness they deserve, and the Family Equality Council will work toward the day that Clay and Parker Foster Aiken can enjoy the same rights as other American families." Long before he chose to father a child with his 50-year-old female pal Jaymes Foster, many in the media and the public suspected Aiken was gay, and even before pictures from a webcam conversation surfaced online, it was pretty obvious that Aiken was not a ladies man. The idea that Aiken and O'Donnell are gay isn't all that shocking; teenage girls across the country likely won't be burning their Measure of a Man CDs in the town square this week. But what about the countless other actors, musicians and politicians who have (thus far successfully) kept their sexuality under wraps? Humanizing the face of the LGBT community is the first step toward tolerance and acceptance and as long as public figures in positions of power bite their tongues, the cycle of silence, violence and fear will continue.

Last week, newly minted gay icon Brad Pitt donated $100,000 to help fight an initiative in California that would overturn the state Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage. Gays have won the right to wed in only two states, the other one being Massachusetts. The November ballot is the first time voters will be given the chance to vote against gay marriage in a state where it's already been granted. Pitt said in a statement: "Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8." Pitt and his partner, long-time gay icon Angelina Jolie, with whom he shares custody of six children, have refused to get married until gay marriage is made legal in the United States. "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able," he said in 2006. To find out more about Proposition 8 or to donate to the cause, check out Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights' Vote No on Prop 8 website.

The Arkansas Family Council's "Gold Standard"

The Associated Press reported today that Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels certified a proposal that would place a measure prohibiting unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children on the state's November ballot. "We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible," Arkansas Family Council President Jerry Cox said. The organization's campaign is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision that ruled against a state law preventing gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents. Though the new measure doesn't specifically address same-sex couples, it's clearly aimed at gays and lesbians as Arkansas currently prohibits gay marriage and does not recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.

The proposal is not only another blow to civil rights but to the 6,500 children currently in Arkansas's foster care system. The state's Department of Human Services is currently investigating the deaths of four separate children living in foster care in Arkansas, including at least two involving allegations of physical abuse (DHS's child abuse investigation division is understaffed and behind on addressing complaints). According to Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, 1,000 children have grown to become adults in the last five years in the state without ever being placed in a permanent home; children who outgrow the foster care system are statistically more likely to become homeless or engage in criminal activity.

It seems that the "gold standard" of child rearing should be to actually rear them, without the fear of abuse or neglect—something Cox and his group seem determined to undercut in the name of preserving their so-called sacred traditions.

Last week it was revealed that Manhunt co-founder and presumptive bear Jonathan Crutchley donated the legal maximum of $2,300 to Republican Senator John McCain's presidential campaign. According to an article in Towleroad, Manhunt's board has forced Crutchley to step down in the wake of the backlash and calls for a boycott by Manhunt members. Though Crutchley has "stepped down," he'll likely still benefit financially from the company he helped start, so next time you renew your membership to the gay networking sex site, think about where that money is going. Sadly, neither McCain nor Democratic rival Barack Obama supports gay marriage, but last week during a faith forum hosted by Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren, McCain said he would support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman if states are forced by federal judges to acknowledge other states' marriages. Obama supports civil unions. Separate but equal, but at least equal—for now.

Forget about a black president or a female president. A new nationwide poll from Zogby International reveals that 65% of likely voters would support an openly gay president if they agreed with him (or her) on key issues. A slightly higher percentage would support an openly gay vice president (we're curious about the 2% of that group who wouldn't support a gay commander in chief), while two-thirds would support an out-and-proud gay senator or presidential cabinet member. There are 415 flag-waving gay elected officials in the United States today, including five at the federal level. Most recently, congressional candidate Jared Polis won the Colorado Democratic primary; if he wins the general election this fall he will become the first non-incumbent, openly gay man ever elected to Congress. Most striking about Zogby's new poll: Participants 18-24 in age were most open to a gay presidential candidate, with the percentage decreasing with each subsequent age group—except those 25-34, for which the percentage curiously drops below 50%.