Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, today will reportedly tell President Obama they certify that the military is ready to implement the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  The repeal will be implemented 60 days after the president endorses the certification. Marriages in New York will begin this Sunday, July 24.  New York City officials said Thursday that they expect to be able to accommodate every couple chosen in the lottery to marry on Sunday and that 823 couples are expected to marry in the city.  Some couples in New York are planning to marry right after midnight, and the Associated Press reports that some are throwing pre-marriage celebrations. In other marriage news, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is scheduled to hold a press conference today to outline his plans for supporting marriage equality legislation in the state next year. An Associated Press article features same-sex couples in Massachusetts who are reminding New York couples that they will still be denied several protections because of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act."  An op-ed by Douglas NeJaime in the Los Angeles Times also examines protections that gay and lesbian married couples do not have because of DOMA. Police in Colorado Springs are investigating an assault against two homeless men who say they were stabbed on Sunday after two men called them anti-gay slurs. Two Colorado Springs men were arrested in connection with the attack. The Salt Lake Tribune highlights LGBT youth in Utah’s Davis County, who face many difficulties because of the lack of a support network, and the Chicago Tribune’s Erin Meyer profiles homeless LGBT youth in Chicago's Boystown. Also in Illinois, the Associated Press reports on a decision made by a Cook County judge last week which determined that three transgender people in Illinois will receive birth certificates that correctly represent their gender identities. The ACLU, which in May filed a suit on behalf of the individuals, said the state law is still unclear.