Federal appeals court upholds ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional - Court rejects argument that gay judge should have recused himself
2012-02-07 09:58:08
SAN FRANCISCO -- Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, said a divided federal appeals court panel in San Francisco on Tuesday. The highly anticipated ruling also rejected a motion from Proposition 8 proponents to vacate the district court ruling of former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker because he had not disclosed, prior to presiding over Perry v. Schwarzenegger, that he was in a relationship with a man.

Uganda's infamous 'Kill the Gays' bill reintroduced in parliament
2012-02-07 08:30:41
Uganda's infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill -- dubbed the 'Kill the Gays' bill -- was reintroduced in parliament on Tuesday. The original version of the bill, first introduced in 2009, included harsh penalties, including the the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

NH lawmaker spending own money on campaign to repeal gay marriage
2012-02-06 20:30:02
CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire lawmaker is waging a one-man effort to repeal the state's same-sex marriage law, and has launched a direct mail campaign to garner support of House Bill 437, which would restore traditional marriage between a man and a woman in the state.

CNN commentator Roland Martin under fire for perceived anti-gay tweets
2012-02-06 20:00:31
CNN commentator Roland Martin has come under fire by gay rights advocates and GLAAD -- the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- for perceived homophobic Twitter 'tweets' following an advertisement of retailer H&M's Super Bowl commercial featuring soccer player David Beckham.

Washington state House committee approves marriage equality bill
2012-02-06 17:00:25
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A House panel in the Washington state legislature on Monday advanced its version of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, placing Washington state just steps from becoming the seventh U.S. state to offer full marriage equality.

Three states make major advances towards full marriage equality - Plus: Prop 8 trial tapes can't stay secret forever
2012-02-06 16:30:43
Another crazy week, with news in the Prop 8 case and major advances in Washington, Maryland, and New Jersey. And yet another court has slapped down NOM's attempts to hide their donors. This week's Marriage News Watch is here...

New Jersey lawmakers will vote on same-sex marriage bills this month
2012-02-06 16:00:17
TRENTON, N.J. — The Democratic leadership in the New Jersey state legislature on Monday announced that measures to legalize same-sex marriage will advance to floor votes by both chambers -- the majority leadership announced that the Senate had scheduled a vote for Feb. 13, followed by a vote in the House vote three days later.

Fischer: JC Penney promoting deviant behavior by hiring Ellen DeGeneres
2012-02-06 15:30:31
Once upon a time, Bryan Fischer believed that trying to get someone fired from their job was a hate crime. But that is apparently only the case if the person getting fired is a Christian and the people urging the firing are gay because Fischer and the American Family Association are now trying to get JC Penney to fire Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson solely because she is gay.

Federal appeals court to rule Tuesday on constitutionality of California's Proposition 8
2012-02-06 15:00:51
SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday signaled the court is ready to rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the 2008 voter approved ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California.

WA Family Policy Institute promotes claim that gay parents molest their children, turn kids gay
2012-02-06 10:30:26
One of the most prominent anti-gay groups currently working to defeat proposed marriage equality legislation in the state of Washington is the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW). Led by Joseph Backholm, FPIW has played a central role in organizing anti-gay efforts in the state over the past several years, including opposing efforts in 2009 [...]

Freedom to Marry vs. NOM on who should decide who gets married
2012-02-06 07:58:01
Jeremy Hooper at Good As You calls our attention to Sunday's televised 'debate' on same-sex marriage between Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson and National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown.

Family, friends hold vigil for bullied gay teen who committed suicide
2012-02-05 18:00:24
CASHMERE, Wash. -- Family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil on Friday evening to remember 14-year-old Rafael Morelos, who hanged himself on Sunday, Jan. 29. Rafael was openly gay, and friends said he was bullied because of it.

Rolling Stone: Evangelicals in Michele Bachmann's district have created an anti-gay climate - 'After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back'
2012-02-05 13:00:02
For nearly three years, people living in the suburban Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin area have been dealing with not only a rash of LGBTQ youth committing suicide, but a cultural environment that at times seems nearly a war zone as the greater LGBTQ community and its supporters have squared off against the small but well-funded virulently anti-gay conservatives.

The Voice of Apathy
2012-02-05 12:30:03
If we exist in a society that 'hates' us and where it is OK to openly compare LGBT people with pedophiles and murderers, we will still feel and have to deal with such pain. Instead of working to end such pain, silence reinforces it, and lengthens its approval within society.

Sex – Goodness, or madness?
2012-02-05 11:00:56
What is it that makes prudes so mad about sex, especially about people enjoying sex? Why do so many think they have the right to define the limits of other people's consensual sexual activities?

Mitt Romney scores another victory in Nevada GOP primary
2012-02-04 20:00:14
Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney claimed another victory on Saturday in the GOP primary contests by coming out on top in the Nevada caucus. The former Massachusetts governor was expected to win because polls throughout the week placed him well ahead of his competitors.

Daughter of same-sex parents pleads with NJ lawmakers for marriage equality
2012-02-04 18:30:54
In Maryland, 14-year-old Sarah Crank asked lawmakers to vote 'no' on marriage equality because 'people have the choice to be gay' and she doesn't want to be affected by their choice. But in New Jersey this week, 15-year-old Madison Galluccio testified she should not be forced to feel like an outcast because her parents are gay.

Colorado gay rights group donates to Republican lawmakers who voted for civil unions
2012-02-04 16:30:07
One Colorado, the group leading the lobbying effort for civil unions here, has repeatedly pledged to support any lawmaker — Republican or Democrat — who supports relationship recognition legislation. This week, campaign finance reports show the group has made good on its promise.

Virginia legislature allows adoption agencies to discriminate against gays
2012-02-04 12:00:17
RICHMOND, Va. -- Lawmakers from both houses of Virginia's legislature passed a measure Friday that codifies into law regulations adopted by the state's Board of Social Services this past December, which allows private adoption agencies to deny placements based on factors including gender, age, religion disability, sexual orientation and family status.

Santorum: Gays don't deserve 'privilege' of marriage because gay unions don't 'benefit society'
2012-02-04 09:00:20
Rick Santorum told a gay man in Fulton, Missouri Friday afternoon that he didn’t deserve the “privilege” of marriage because his same-sex relationship does not “benefit” society in the same way that opposite-sex marriage does.