“Orange Is the New Black” Season 2 debuts in June, and if the first photos are any indication, the Litchfield women are in for another bumpy ride.

Taylor Schilling told People, “In season two, we’ll see how Piper’s story continues, but the show also gets wider and deeper to tell the stories of even more of the women.” Netflix released the first three photos of Season 2, which tease a mock job fair and some bloodshed.

See more photos at Huffington Post Gay Voices

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Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) are circulating a letter among their Senate colleagues that calls on President Barack Obama to issue an executive order extending workplace nondiscrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

“We are writing to urge you to fulfill the promise in your State of the Union address to make this a ‘year of action’ and build upon the momentum of 2013 by signing an executive order banning federal contractors from engaging in employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. As you have said before, ‘now is the time to end this kind of discrimination, not enable it,'” reads the letter, which was provided to The Huffington Post.

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It’s been a tough week for Homer Simpson. First, Daryl killed him in a “Walking Dead” tribute created by “Simpsons” artist Eric Keyes. Then, he almost got in on the selfie that broke Twitter. “The Simpsons” Tweeted out their own take on Ellen DeGeneres’ massive Oscars selfie.

All of the stars were Simpson-ized, including Ellen DeGeneres, Lupita Nyong’o, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. Even Jared Leto — who was mostly cut out of the original — was fully present in this one.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post ‘The Simpsons’ spoofs Ellen’s Oscars selfie first appeared on Lesbian.com.

No dress here!

The writers of the 2000 hit comedy “Miss Congeniality” received inspiration for the Sandra Bullock flick from an unusual place: Ellen DeGeneres. The Oscar host revealed in a new interview with Parade that her attempt to waltz around in a dress and heels prompted the tale of Gracie Hart, the FBI agent who goes undercover at a beauty pageant to stifle a bomb threat.

“’Miss Congeniality’ was written based on me,” DeGeneres said. “When I was getting ready to co-host the Emmys, the writer saw me [on TV] learning how to walk in a dress and heels. My stylist at the time — a man — was teaching me, and it was hilarious. The ‘Miss Congeniality’ writer saw it and thought it was brilliant.”

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Michael Sam at the NFL Combine (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

BY CHRIS GREENBERG
Huffington Post Gay Voices

Michael Sam, a first-team All-American defensive lineman out of Missouri, dropped a “Back to the Future” reference on Tuesday when responding to a Republican lobbyist who wants him barred from the NFL. The 24-year-old college football standout recently announced that he is gay and is aiming to become the first out player in the NFL.

Lobbyists? Where Michael Sam is going he doesn’t need the permission of any lobbyists.

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The post Michael Sam responds to lobbyist who wants to ban gay NFL players first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CAVAN SIECZKOWSKI

Same-sex parents might still have an uphill battle to forge, but a new study seems to provide a helpful push in the right direction. In a study billed as the first to compare adolescent-parent relationships and adolescent well-being in intact lesbian and heterosexual families, children of lesbians reported having higher self-esteem and lower conduct problems than those of heterosexual couples.

The study compared 51 Dutch children (25 girls and 26 boys) born to lesbian parents through donor insemination with 51 demographically similar teens from heterosexual parents. The children matched in age, gender, education and birth country. Last year, the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families conducted the world’s largest study comparing same-sex parents to heterosexual parents and found that children of gay couples are thriving in terms of health and familial wellness, Think Progress reported.

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The post Yet another study finds lesbian moms are awesome first appeared on Lesbian.com.

An Arizona pizzeria posted a sign reading stating they reserve “the right to refuse service to Arizona legistlators” in response to a discriminatory bill that threatens the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Owner Anthony Rocco DiGrazia told The Huffington Post Friday in a Facebook message: “Opening the door to government-sanctioned discrimination, regardless of why, is a huge step in the wrong direction. Thanks for all the support.”

This week, both houses of the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1062, which gives Arizona business owners the right to deny service to gays and others on the basis of religious freedom. While conservatives contend the legislation is meant to prevent discrimination against the faithful, Arizona Democrats say it is plain old discrimination.

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A new website is claiming that it can help the user determine if they’re gay by simply scanning their facial features.

Called “Gay Check Online,” the website scans the face of the user through their computer’s webcam and delivers a resounding verdict about their sexuality. A statement on the website reportedly informs visitors that “the image is then matched with the latest data on facial features and their homosexual implications, which allows Gay Check to surmise the visitor’s sexual orientation.”

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Does this new website have gaydar? first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Lesbian rumors have followed Sugarland songstress Jennifer Nettles for some years, due in part to lyrics like “It’s crotch propaganda /Bat for both teams /and it’s me not choosing sides/ Standing in between.”

The 39-year-old country star opened up to PrideSource about the gay rumors — and the “On the Shoulders of Giants” lyrics — in an interview published Tuesday.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Jennifer Nettles addresses lesbian rumors in new interview first appeared on Lesbian.com.

“Divided we are weak. Together we are strong.”

Those were the words tweeted by openly gay football star Michael Sam, thanking his University of Missouri family for their support. He posted the message after arriving at the school and seeing a group of Mizzou students surrounding the perimeter in order to block out a Westboro Baptist Church protest.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Students form wall of love to combat Westboro Baptist Church first appeared on Lesbian.com.