DotGay? DotNoWay, Says Internet Organization

The nonprofit group that is responsible for doling out the new domains for the "new" Internet delivered a shocking blow to the LGBT community when it basically said that gays weren't "gay" enough to get a dot-gay (.gay) ending.

According to Domain Incite, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers denied an application by DotGay LLC to exclusively own the rights to .gay because the LGBT community isn't made up of homosexuals.

Even though DotGay was a "community" applicant, the company failed to pass the ICANN's "Community Priority Evaluation," scoring a 10 out of 16 -- just four points below the passing level. Domain Incite points DotGay lost points on the "Nexus between Proposed String and Community" criteria, which was worth four points. DotGay scored a big fat goose egg.

The Community Priority Evaluation panel said the LGBT community described in the DotGay application was too broad to be described by the "gay" because it includes bisexual and transgender members. The panel also the LGBT community wasn't "gay" enough because the LGBT community has straight allies.

The panel said in its ruling:

Included in the application's community definition are transgender and intersex individuals as well as "allies" (understood as heterosexual individuals supportive of the missions of the organizations that comprise the defined community). However, "gay" does not identify these individuals. Transgender people may identify as straight or gay, since gender identity and sexual orientation are not necessarily linked.... Likewise, intersex individuals are defined by having been born with atypical sexual reproductive anatomy; such individuals are not necessarily "gay". Finally, allies, given the assumption that they are heterosexual supporters of LGBTQIA issues, are not identified by "gay" at all. Such individuals may be an active part of the .GAY community, even if they are heterosexual, but "gay" nevertheless does not describe these individuals.

Since the panel did not find that "gay" identified DotGay, which identifies with the LGBT community, it lost three points. The company lost another two points on the "community Endorsement" criteria. One point for not being backed by an organization recognized as representing LGBT people and another because the application "received informal objections from at least one significant community member," Domain Incite writes.

The .gay domain ending is likely headed to auction.

You can view the ICANN's scorecard here.