A petition for the documentary Bully to reach its intended audience, same-sex marriage in Archie’s world, abuse of transgender children, discrimination against the children of LGBT parents of color, and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.

1) Bully [documentary] Threatened With NC-17 Rating, Teen Petitions for PG-13
Michigan, Advocate, February 28, 2012

A Michigan teenager has launched an online petition to have the rating for documentary Bully changed to PG-13 from the more prohibitive R, as theater owners threaten to treat it as an NC-17 film.

Katy Butler, a junior at Greenhills High School in Michigan, created the petition on the website Change.org after the Motion Picture Association of America denied an appeal by the Weinstein Company, which is distributing the documentary about bullying, to change the rating to allow it to reach its target audience of young people under 17. “I can’t believe the MPAA is blocking American teenagers from seeing a movie that could literally save thousands of lives,” says Butler.

Sign the petition.  See the film’s official website. Bully follows five stories of children and families who are affected deeply by bullying within the course of a school year. With intimate glimpses into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the lives of bullied, ridiculed children. Bully is scheduled for release on March 30 in select theaters. Watch the trailer:

2) Gay wedding issue of Archie comic sells out despite protest
Pink News, March 2, 2012

The American group One Million Moms’ protests over the gay wedding issue of the Archie comics series have failed to dent the publication’s success with the news that the issue has sold out.

One Million Moms, a project of the American Family Association does not have a membership of one million, and also failed in its campaign to oust Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesperson for JC Penney.  American Family Association has been designated a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of its “propagation of known falsehoods” and “demonizing propaganda” about homosexuality.

3) Martina Navratilova Joins Dancing With the Stars
Advocate, February 28, 2012

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova will be among the celebrity competitors on the next season of Dancing With the Stars, according to an ABC press release.

The 55-year-old Navratilova, who came out as lesbian in 1981, “is the only player in history to win Grand Slam titles in four different decades, including a curtain-closing U.S. Open victory in mixed-doubles at age 49.

4) Statement: Des Moines Register Poll Shows Majority of Iowans Oppose Constitutional Amendment Banning Marriage Equality
Des Moines, Iowa, One Iowa, February 27, 2012

A majority of Iowans oppose passage of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows.

The poll found that 38 percent favor a legislative initiative to pass a constitutional amendment, while 56 percent are against. Six percent aren’t sure.

5) Priest’s Actions Against Lesbian Stir Uproar
Maryland, Advocate, February 28, 2012

A Maryland Catholic priest’s denial of communion to a lesbian during her mother’s funeral is receiving criticism from her family and others…. Father Marcel Guarnizo denied communion to a woman [saying], “I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman and that is a sin according to the church.” He also left the altar when Barbara delivered a eulogy for her mother, Werner reported.

6) Transgender Children at High Risk for Child Abuse
Yahoo News, February 21, 2012

On Feb. 20, the American Academy of Pediatrics released the disturbing, but unsurprising, results of a long-term study investigating abuse rates among transgender children. The investigation followed some 17,000 people who demonstrated “gender nonconformity” before age 11, measuring their mental health and markers for abuse in early adulthood. The findings of the study were alarming and indicate a frightening and hidden epidemic of abuse.

7) Republican Who Bluntly Backed Gay Marriage Loses Some Support Back Home
Albany, New York, New York Times, February 29, 2012

ALBANY — With a blunt one-liner — “They can take the job and shove it” — describing his disregard for the political consequences of his decision to support same-sex marriage last year, Senator Roy J. McDonald, a Republican from Saratoga, became a hero to gay rights groups.

But now, some of Mr. McDonald’s onetime supporters seem to be taking his punchy invitation to heart.

8) Mehlman Sorry for Pushing Bush’s Antigay Agenda
Advocate, March 2, 2012

The gay GOP strategist Ken Mehlman now says he’s sorry for pushing George W. Bush’s antigay efforts…. Mehlman, at the time closeted, was part of Bush’s inner circle and walked in line with Bush’s antigay baiting. He says now he regrets not standing up to Bush or adviser Karl Rove.

9) WATCH: Religious Grandparents for Same Sex Marriage
Tacoma, Washington, Advocate, March 3, 2012

A Lutheran pastor and his wife of nearly 70 years are speaking out in favor of Washington’s marriage equality law because they want their two gay grandsons to enjoy lives similar to their own.

10) Children in LGBT families of color face double stigma
The Grio, March 1, 2012

A new report shows that children in LBGT families of color face higher levels of discrimination and stigma. “LGBT Families of Color: Facts at a Glance”…outlines the challenges that children face simply because they have two parents of the same gender. Outdated laws are to blame for the disparate impact on these children.

11) KU prof: Gay marriage bans had ‘ironic outcome’
Lawrence, Kansas, March 2, 2012

A University of Kansas researcher says that gay marriage bans may have generated empathy for same-sex couples and their families.