A new document released today by the Vatican’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops has for the first time referred to committed LGBT couples as “partners,” using the sort of inclusive language that the Catholic Church has not been known for when discussing LGBT issues.

The document, read today to the Synod in the Vatican, claimed that “homosexuals have gifts and talents to offer the Christian community.” Unfortunately, it goes on to assert that LGBT partnerships are not on the “same footing as matrimony between a man and a woman,” but does continue:

"Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasizing that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority.”

When Coronado attorney Alisa Kerr heard how the dream wedding of Arizona couple Oscar de Las Salas and Gary Jackson last August was disrupted by a man yelling  homophobic slurs from an apartment complex nearby, she decided to do something to make it up to the couple and “fix” the damage to her beloved city’s reputation. Calling upon her friends, "The Islander Ladies," Kerr’s original plan to invite the couple back for a “do over” wedding and quiet dinner hanging out with her friends turned into a grand affair with 300-plus guests supported by the entire city. Mayor Casey Tanaka officiated at the wedding on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Lost in all the joyful wedding excitement is the fun fact that beautiful Coronado is a majority-Republican city in San Diego County.  Of the more than 10,600 registered voters, 4,729 (46%) are Republicans compared to 2,457 (24%) Democrats, as of Oct. 1. Let that sink in: a Republican city in a conservative county threw a “do over” wedding as an apology to gay out-of-towners.

A cloud of suspicion hangs over GOP rising star Carl DeMaio after CNN broadcast a lengthy story focused on allegations of sexual harassment against the gay Republican by one of his former gay staffers. DeMaio has not only denied the allegations but has claimed that they are essentially political dirty tricks coming from his congressional opponent, Democratic Rep. Steve Peters. Apparently House Speaker John Boehner believes DeMaio, showing up for a three-hour fundraiser at a Pacific Beach home in sunny San Diego on Saturday.

David Jones, a florist whose 50-year career saw him decorate the homes and parties of Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson, among many more, died on September 17th in Los Angeles, at the age of 78.

Jones began his career in New York in the 1950s, as an apprentice to an Upper East Side floral designer known as Judith Garden. Working for her, he decorated for the Roosevelts, Eisenhowers and Kennedys, including displays in the White House.