Actress Julianne Moore told Sky News Online that it is best if a child is brought up by a two-parent family, whether it be a man and a woman or two women or two men. In her new film, The Kids Are All Right, she and Annette Bening play a gay couple whose lives are turned upside down when their children contact their biological father. Moore said, “I really think a two-parent family is the goal. I think whether they are men or women, or a man and a woman, it’s all pretty good.”

A diplomat from Saudi Arabia has requested political asylum because he is a homosexual and has a Jewish woman for a friend. He told NBC News that if he was returned to Saudi Arabia they would “kill me openly and in broad daylight.” Ahmad Asseri is the first secretary of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles. Asseri claims that Saudi officials have terminated his employment and pulled his diplomatic passport after discovering his sexual orientation. In return, Asseri threatened to take embarrassing information public about the Saudi royal family living in the United States.

Senator Leno is being honored for his lifelong advocacy of GLBT rights and inclusion.  Senator Leno’s path to public service included two years of rabbinic training at Hebrew Union College, which gives him a unique perspective on the role of gays and lesbians in Jewish life and the GLBT community as a whole.  The Senator will appear at the event’s Saturday night gala dinner to accept the honor.

Elissa Barrett, an attorney who serves as Executive Director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, will be the keynote speaker at Friday night’s shabbat dinner.  “Ms. Barrett’s social justice work within both the GLBT community and the Jewish community make her a perfect choice for keynote speaker,” said Jonathan Falk, conference chair.  “We look forward to her inspirational words.”

“With queer Jews converging on Los Angeles from all over the world, we look forward to a weekend of learning, laughter, friendship, music, prayer, and social justice; a weekend both intimate and expansive, as we share our history and help make it,” commented Rabbi Lisa Edwards of Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim.

Weekend seminars at the Conference will cover a variety of issues of interest to the Jewish GLBT community, such as Judaism’s views of same sex marriage, sociological studies of the GLBT diversity, growing up queer in an Orthodox Jewish home, and organizing communities of faith for political change.  Confirmed presenters include: Steve Krantz of Jews for Marriage Equality, Kerry Chaplin of Faith for Equality, Rabbi Carla Howard of the Jewish Healing Center of Los Angeles, Prof. Richard Lippa of CSU Fullerton, Naomi Goldberg of the UCLA Law School Williams Institute, and many more.

On Saturday night, the Conference features a gala dinner, headlined by Lisa Geduldig, well-known San Francisco comedian.  Other featured entertainment will include the Gay Gezunt band and the choir from Beth Chayim Chadashim.

The World Congress– an organization that has advocated for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Jews since 1975 – strives to create a world of equality and respect for all people, regardless of sexual orientation.  The upcoming 20th World Conference, the first in Los Angeles since 1982, is presented by the World Congress together with the local host organizations:  Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim, Congregation Kol Ami, JQ International, Mishpacha UCLA, the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at Hebrew Union College, and the Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring of Southern California.  Conference registration is ongoing at the la2010.org website.  -FA

By PAUL RUBIO

Since the 1920s, the L.A. enigma of wealth, fame, and pretention has lured celebrity hopefuls and aspiring anybodies to enter a vortex of the fake and fabulous, in a desperate attempt to become “somebody.” Likewise, this conundrum has placed L.A. at the top of the global “must see” bucket list, especially for the GLBT traveler.

Neighboring Beverly Hills, West Hollywood is arguably the epicenter of America’s gay universe. On a day-to-day basis, the streets of WEHO teem with America’s most stunning gay men, making the true attraction of visiting this gayborhood recreation time on an eye-candy playground. In fact, tourists simply looking for the “gay L.A.” experience need go no further than the main drags of Melrose, Sunset, and Santa Monica.

After battling some annoying traffic coming from LAX and catching a glimpse of the Hollywood sign, it’s time to put on your sunglasses and look the part, exiting the cab in front of either the flawless London West Hollywood (thelondonwesthollywood.com) or the awesome Andaz West Hollywood (westhollywood. andaz.hyatt.com). The Andaz West Hollywood is Hyatt’s much awaited youthful re-invention of the former Sunset Strip “Riot Hyatt,” a hotbed of 70s and 80s rock n roll angst and the long-haired rocker appetite for hotel destruction. The new Andaz is fresh, funky, fun, and full of freebees, offering a better-planned and more strategically conceptualized product than its most analogous competitor, the “W.” The contemporary design of common spaces is highly detailed while rooms are simple and understated. Guest rooms boast spacious sunrooms with floor to ceiling windows, peering over the Sunset Strip and vaster Hollywood panoramas (from floors 6 and up). Free Illy espresso, wine, and rotating snacks lure guests at all hours to the lobby, while the complimentary (nonalcoholic) mini bar gives new meaning to raiding the fridge. Sunning in your Speedo at the rooftop pool is arguably one of the best uses of LA daylight, while healthy French cuisine at the hotel’s restaurant, the Riot House, offers an authentic gastronomic link to the French countryside.

The rooftop pool at WEHO’s other most stylish crash pad, the London West Hollywood, also merits major bragging rights. The London’s signature bathrooms are larger than most NYC studio apartments, and likely the subject of countless Facebook photos and ridiculously long baths (with multiple guests). Like the Andaz, the London offers a sizeable gym, but a more inspirational physical experience beckons at the nearby Crunch (crunch.com) on Sunset Blvd or the Sports Club LA (thesportsclubla.com) on Sepulveda – both wet dreams of muscle boys pumping iron with frequent sightings of the legend Carol Channing in a leotard at the latter.

By early evening, WEHO transforms into a concentrated commune of fabulous eats, celebrity sightings, and unadulterated fun. The sexy Cecconi’s (www.cecconiswesthollywood.com) serves Italian fusion to a svelte, calorie conscious clientele, more concerned with being seen than inhaling their tuna tartare. The irresistible diet anti-Christ, BLT Steak (www.bltsteak.com), caters to the foodie crowd, content scraping their plates for that one final bite of the decadent Lobster Cobb Salad, the over-stuffed Mushrooms, or the signature buttery Sole. Come 11pm, the world famous Abbey (www.abbeyfoodandbar.com) shows no signs of ending its long standing reign as America’s best gay bar. The oversized homo sanctuary has hosted LA’s who’s-who for nearly a decade, still championing the scene on Fridays and Sunday afternoons. Next door, Here Lounge (www.herelounge.com) is also mega popular these two evenings.

Naturally, an L.A. experience is never complete without a few notable celebrity sightings. Within West Hollywood, it’s likely you will see both the fabulous A-list and the ghetto- fabulous D-list at a Santa Monica Blvd. Starbucks or the 2:15am sloppy pizza stop after all clubs have closed, for that Us Weekly “they’re just like us” moment. My last trip to L.A., I perhaps took the “greatest piss of all,” smack-dab next to Orlando Bloom, sharing a bit of urinal rhapsody for a good 60 seconds (plenty of time to sneak a peek or two!). I downed a tequila shot at the Abbey with “New York” from the VH1 reality show “Flava of Love” (after I realized she was more than just another drag queen). Paris Hilton brushed by me at Millions of Milkshakes (millionsofmilkshakes.com), blowing drunk “air kisses” to her waning fan base.