The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) recently announced the addition of a McDonald's corporation officer to its board. Richard Ellis, vice president of communications for McDonald's USA, was elected to NGLCC's board of directors. In a press release, Ellis stated, “I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce team and ready to get to work.”

A panel charged with drafting a statement on same-sex relationships for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended that marriage continue to be defined as between one man and one woman, but fell short of reaching a consensus on same-sex partnerships. The preliminary report doesn't condemn same-sex unions, and added that historically, Lutheran teachings have been used to hurt LGBT people. Since the task force didn't reach a consensus on the issue, they said they will continue to study same-sex relationships. The “Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality” will go up for a church assembly vote next year. Lutherans have been debating the issue of homosexuality for years.

Jesse Kern, son of the Oklahoma U.S. representative that made anti-gay comments, said that recent media reports that he is gay are untrue. Last week, a YouTube video of state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, likening gays to “terrorists or Islam” during a past speech made to a Republican organization surfaced. Kern, in her speech made earlier this year, said gays were a bigger threat to national security than terrorism, and that “the homosexual agenda is just destroying this nation.” The speech was first posted by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. According to Tulsaworld.com, the representative's son says that information that he is gay is false. He added that he practices celibacy and is straight, but his views of homosexuality differ from his mother's.

Syphilis rates have increased in the U.S. for the seventh year in a row, according to preliminary data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed at the National STD Prevention Conference. The data shows that gay men are still largely impacted by the disease, and rates continue to climb among this group. Health officials and researches believe a lack of awareness has a lot to do with the rate increases. Syphilis rates have also increased among women and African-American men.

The anti-gay group The American Family Association ( AFA ) recently ended its boycott of Ford vehicles. The two-year boycott, which was started because AFA was upset that Ford donated to LGBT organizations and pride parades, and advertised in LGBT publications, came to a halt because the conservative group said the company has met most of its demands. However, Ford recently released a statement that says that its principals have remained the same, and is “committed to treating everyone fairly with respect, including our dealers, customers and employees.” The company said it will continue to have gay-friendly policies and market its products to the LGBT community.

Washington Blade reported that a prominent gay advisor to Sen. Barack Obama resigned after his “blistering” anti-Clinton e-mail surfaced. A member of Obama's GLBT Leadership Council, Maxim Thorne, resigned after reports of an e-mail blasting presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton surfaced. The e-mail was sent to hundreds of people via a listserv. The e-mail mentioned former President Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs, and demanded that the presidential candidate disclose where she was “when Monica was having sex with Bill.”

A study conducted by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy estimates that one-third of same-sex Irish couples are living in the U.S. About 1,200 Irish-born same-sex couples are living in the States, according to the study. Roughly 2,000 same-sex couples live in Ireland, the Williams Institute estimates. The Irish government recently announced that it will enact a civil partnership law. The study estimated that roughly 500 Irish-born non-U.S. citizens might return to Ireland if the country will legally recognize their partnerships.

Utah's state legislators approved Salt Lake City's domestic partner ordinance as long as it isn't called a domestic partner ordinance, according to 365gay.com. The no-name bill, which allows municipalities to pass such laws as long as they don't use the term “domestic partnerships,” was recently passed by the state House, already cleared the Senate and awaits the approval of Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. If approved, Salt Lake City will have to find a new name for its registry.

The Queer Media & Entertainment Conference ( Q-Me Con ) and AfterEllen.com announced a lesbian/bisexual Web series contest. They are seeking several Web series that feature lesbian and bisexual women, or a lesbian/bisexual story line or theme. Deadline submission is April 15. See AfterEllen.com for guidelines.