Last night on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese we brought you a little bit of current events and a lot of history. Starting off with the news of the day, we looked to New Mexico where a domestic partnership bill is on the legislative agenda. Gov. Bill Richardson, who will speak at the Los Angeles HRC dinner this weekend, called a special session of the Legislature to address unfinished business, including the relationship-recognition bill. Openly lesbian Secretary of Human Services Pamela Hyde was our guest. Listen to the segment here.

This past week’s news also included a firestorm of controversy when Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace told The Chicago Tribune that he thought gays and lesbians were immoral. To discuss his comments and to talk about the failed policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” we welcomed retired Army Gen. Paul Eaton.

Then we took a step back and looked at the broader gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement in a historical context. Marcia Gallo joined us to talk about her book Different Daughters that chronicles the start of the modern lesbian rights movement and the founding of the Daughters of Bilitis. Hear from Gallo here.

Then we checked in with David Mixner, a renowned political activist who at one time was named by Newsweek as the most powerful gay man in America. Listen to Mixner’s segment here.

Finally we turned to entertainment with playwright and screenwriter Douglas Carter Beane. Joe and co-host Mary Breslauer recently met with Beane in New York and talked about everything from his current work to the future of gay humor to the importance of remembering the Stonewall riots.

BTW, if you haven’t signed up for a free trial of The Agenda online, you still have a chance. Before March 31, click here to get two free weeks of The Agenda and the rest of XM’s online programming. You can hear us 24/7 on XM Online channel 134.

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