The Mounties (proper name Royal Canadian Mounted Police) have recorded the latest It Gets Better video. "The video features adults who share their stories of their struggles, with the aim of building a bridge of understanding for youth undergoing similar experiences," the video's description notes. While the U.S. sees big electoral gains in same-sex marriage rights and growing acceptance among citizens, it's nice to see this message from the country's neighbor to the north.

A group of activists has launched LPAC, the lesbian political action committee, with the goal of electing pro-women, pro-lesbian candidates this November. “Frankly, we created LPAC because we were shocked by this past year,” said LPAC chair and treasurer Sarah Schmidt. “Lesbians could no longer stand by and witness continued attacks on reproductive freedoms, marriage equality, and be immersed in a political sphere where women are not given a meaningful voice in politics.”

On Friday night, as the LGBT community and their allies celebrated Pride throughout the nation, a teenage lesbian couple in Texas were both shot in the head and left to die. Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, died from her wounds, and Mary Christine Chapa, 18, is in serious but stable condition after surgery. Matthew Shepard was attacked and left for dead in 1998.What is different between 1998 and 2012 – what has to be believed to be different – is how we collectively respond to such a tragedy.

In the last few years, several laboratory studies have shown that, to some extent, we can tell whether someone is gay or straight, just by glimpsing their face. When asked to categorise male and female facial photos as “gay” or “straight”, participants have consistently performed at better than chance (though nowhere near perfect). And a new study, published today in PLoS One by psychologist Joshua A. Tabak and colleagues, is shedding light on how this “snap judgement” occurs. Could it be that participants simply pick up on boyish hairstyles, or meticulously manicured facial hair, or flamboyant eyewear choices? While these might be hints in real-life interactions, any such cues are removed from the photos used in these carefully controlled studies.

"Kate McKinnon is making history on Saturday Night Live next week, becoming the first openly lesbian cast member in the show's history," writes Dion Beary at Yahoo! News. "McKinnon nabbed the gig thanks to a performance test for Lorne Michaels, as one of seven who auditioned for the SNL producer this week and the first of the bunch to debut. An attractive, blonde-haired actress with a wealth of charisma, her quick entrance into the show might have something to do with the up-in-the-air status of current cast standout Kristen Wiig."

By now, you're probably familiar with the "Hey Girl" meme, in which Ryan Gosling face (and occasionally abs) are overlaid with sexy, sexy messages. The Ryan Gosling Tumblr meme has since gotten out of control, spawning dozens of offshoots, like my favorite, Feminist Ryan Gosling ("Hey Girl. Yes means yes."). Well, for those of you who don't fancy Mr. Gosling, there is now Hey Girl, It's Rachel Maddow.

This year the Miss California USA pageant, which feeds into the Miss USA pageant, has its first two openly gay contestants. Mollie Thomas and Jenelle Hutcherson both say they want to serve as positive role models for members of the LGBTQ community. "I'm running for equality and will use this in order to promote visibility on current issues, to become a youth advocate and a role model," Thomas told the LA Times. Meanwhile, Hutcherson said, "We have the power to create a better future for our kids by setting an example of treating each other with love and equality."

"Wait a minute, not all lesbians in movies are white, rich or middle-class with no bills to pay?" opens Spectra's Racialicious review of the new Dee Rees film "Pariah," opening this weekend. The film focuses on an African-American lesbian teen in Brooklyn and offers "an essential layer of complexity needed to accurately portray the diverse experiences of queer people of color." Spectra writes, "Rather than depicting homophobia as the only kind of oppression experienced by the LGBT community, Pariah’s world is a varied socio-cultural landscape in motion featuring an all-POC cast."

A legal battle is underway over an East Texas teenager whose softball coaches outed her as gay to her parents before, allegedly in violation of her privacy rights. Skye Wyatt, the 16-year-old sophomore at Kilgore High School, was also kicked off the team. The incident caused her to become "depressed and anxious," reports Dallas Voice's John Wright. For their part, "the defendants allege that Skye Wyatt had been openly gay for several years and never attempted to keep her sexuality secret."

Benettton just launched its controversial "Unhate" campaign. So far the Vatican and the Obama administration have complained about the ads. The pope's image has been removed from Benetton's website, though Obama's remains. The idea of a woman leader -- Angela Merkel -- caught in a doctored embrace didn't seem to raise as much ire.