In a conference call on Tuesday with LGBT activists, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “I have no intention of losing on either [a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act] ,” Pelosi said, according to The Advocate’s Kerry Eleveld, citing one person on the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to a second participant, Pelosi said she believed that passing ENDA would be easier once DADT was repealed, and suggested that a vote on repeal might come as early as next week, when Congress is scheduled to consider this year’s defense spending bill. Earlier this week, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggested that he is very close to achieving the votes necessary to attach a DADT repeal bill to the “must-pass” defense budget, using a strategy successfully employed to pass the James Byrd and Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Bill last year.

AmericaBlog reports that big-time players, including the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network, are making a big push to bring Defense Secretary Bob Gates back to the negotiating table, and they seem to have gotten him to step down from his earlier position that a repeal should not happen this year by promising a “delayed implementation” of a DADT repeal once it’s passed into law.

Elsewhere…

Iowa – Of the 2,200 same-gender couples married in the Buckey State since same-gender marriage became legal there over a year ago, 60% were from outside the state. This would be why tourism officials from Decorah, Iowa have been advertising the town in Lavender. (The Des Moines Register)

Massachusetts – A planned LGBT retirement home in Boston has gone belly up without even breaking ground on their facilities. Other communal and assisted-living facilities across the nation are facing similarly hard times, even as baby boomers start retiring. (EDGE)

Utah – In a burgeoning trend across Utah started by Salt Lake City and County, another Utah town has adopted a statute that bans housing and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This is big news, because the conservative Mormon Church has traditionally had a stranglehold on Utah politics, and has historically opposed measures like this. Recently, though, Church leaders suggested they are relaxing their opposition to similar anti-discrimination statutes. (The Advocate)

California – GetEQUAL activists staged a rally in support of ENDA in San Francisco, drawing many cute sign-holders. (Towleroad)

Uganda – The “Kill Gays” bill may be dead/dying, but a sketchy details are emerging that suggest parts of the bill have morphed into another piece of legislation that would criminalize the spread of HIV, whether or not transmission was accidental. (The Box Turtle Bulletin)

Singapore – Singaporean activists hold a sort-of Pride, eschewing traditional rainbow colors for red-and-pink and a message of “freedom to love.” (Towleroad)