Greg Louganis' Return to Diving

By Advocate.com Editors

Diving legend Greg Louganis has decided to come back to the sport that propelled him into Olympic fame, but this time as a coach.

Louganis, who is openly gay and has HIV, became the only man to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the platform and springboard diving events. Now 51, Louganis spoke to the New York Times on Sunday about being hired in November to coach the members of SoCal Divers. His coaching follows a mechanical style, ensuring that divers master a move before moving on to the next, which is in contrast with other coaches who stress acrobatics.

At first, he admitted he was hesitant to return to the sport, but said after he thought about his skill set, and where he felt comfortable, the return was the right thing to do.

“I kind of speak their language,” he said of the divers he trains. “I know what it is to be afraid of a dive. I know what it’s like to put a new dive in a competition. I know what it’s like to feel a little insecure about a dive.”

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Banton Guilty of Cocaine Charges

By Advocate.com Editors

Homophobic, Grammy-winning reggae star Buju Banton was convicted of three cocaine related charges in a Tampa, Fla., court on Monday.

A 12-person jury convicted Banton of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, attempting to possess five kilograms or more of cocaine, and aiding and abetting others in using a communication facility in the commission of a felony. The singer was found not guilty of a gun charge.

The Jamaican performer was arrested with two men in December 2009 after they tried to sell cocaine to undercover detectives in a Florida warehouse. While the two men pleaded guilty, Banton denied the charges. A previous case against Banton ended in a mistrial.

Earlier this month, Banton won the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album. Banton reportedly hugged his lawyer as the verdict was read — there is no word yet on when Banton will be sentenced.

Read the full story here.

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Marriage Bill Introduced in Md. Senate

By Advocate.com Editors

The marriage equality bill was introduced in the Maryland senate Tuesday morning. Debate is scheduled to begin Wednesday on the measure, which has the required 24 votes to pass the chamber.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act passed the senate’s judicial proceedings committee last Thursday by a vote of 7 to 4. The bill included three amendments, including one on protecting religious institutions that is expected to be the subject of prolonged debate in the full senate this week.

The Wonk Room offers audio of the introduction.

Gov. Martin O'Mally has promised to sign the marriage equality bill, which is expected to pass the house of delegates.



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Gay-friendly Santa Fe wins national nod

SANTA FE (AP) - 

Santa Fe makes a lot of Top 10 lists when it comes to travel and tourism. Now, the state's capital city has a new distinction.

According to a travel piece published in The Advocate, a national gay and lesbian magazine, Santa Fe is the second "gayest" city in America.

The Advocate reports that RainbowVision, a retirement community for gays, lesbians and others in Santa Fe, "has raucous drag shows at the Silver Starlight Lounge."

Mayor David Coss called The Advocate's accolades fantastic. He said Santa Fe is a tolerant community and that includes being gay-friendly.

Ranked first on The Advocate's list was Minneapolis. San Francisco rated 11th.

It's the second year The Advocate has produced the list. Author Mike Albo writes that a "completely unscientific" but "still strangely accurate" method was used to generate the rankings.

For each city, The Advocate added up numbers for Gay.com profiles, listed officiants for gay weddings within a 50-mile radius, openly gay elected officials, performances by lesbian sisters musical duo Tegan and Sara over the past five years, lesbian bars, gay and gay-friendly religious congregations and entries in YellowPages.com with "gay" in the business name or description.

The total for all factors was then divided by the city's population.

Santa Fe received zeros for gay marriage officiants and Tegan and Sara shows, The Advocate says. But it made up for that with nine gay-friendly congregations, seven lesbian bars and four openly gay elected officials.

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