One of the most important stories to the LGBT community this week was Senator Barack Obama officially coming out against the California ballot initiative seeking to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. Obama had previously stated his opinion as supporting civil unions but believing marriage should be limited to heterosexuals. Senator John McCain, on the other hand, supports the amendment. Digging through their positions and how they court our constituency is always great fodder. One thing is certain, the issue is a galvanizing one that is bringing in loads of cash on both sides.

In trans news this week, Congress held it's first-ever hearing on transgender matters and probably got a lot more than it bargained for – humanity – by listening to stories of discrimination and humiliation from members of the trans community. Thomas Beatie, a trans man who knows those issues first hand, gave birth to a baby girl on Thursday. As for the case of Rodney Whitaker, the trans woman who was killed in a Memphis jail, police are still investigating.

Wildfires continue to burn out of control in northern California. As of Friday afternoon, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had ordered 200 more National Guard troops to assist. On Thursday, some 1,800 fires were burning up over 600,000 acres and the entire town of Big Sur had to be evacuated due to out of control blazes. Flames were even beginning to make their way down into Santa Barbara County on Friday.

In Colombia this week, a daring and flawless rescue effort managed to free 15 hostages including politician Ingrid Betancourt held for six years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Columbian government went so far as to release video footage of the mission. Harrowing details of the hostages' captivity began emerging including executions and sadism. According to the Guardian, “Betancourt said she was often chained to a tree and haunted by thoughts of killing herself during her six-year ordeal. 'Death is a hostage's most faithful companion. We lived with death ... and the seduction of suicide was always with us.'”

In a ruling on a $1 billion copyright case of Viacom against Google, YouTube.com was ordered to release user data, including viewing habits, in order to prove that pirated material is more popular than viewer-created content.