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Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) has signed on as the first Republican co-sponsor of the bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. “I voted against the constitutional amendment defining marriage so I’m pleased to co-sponsor the repeal of DOMA and work with my colleagues on marriage equality,” said Ros-Lehtinen in a statement. The DOMA-repeal bill, … Continue reading
Once again, Republicans held a presidential debate on Thursday night. And once again, the live audience helped give the party a black eye. The debate, which took place in Orlando, Fla., and aired on Fox News, included questions from a panel of Fox personalities and from voters, who were invited to submit theirs through YouTube. … Continue reading
David Hall thought that he’d been careful, working diligently in his job as an Air Force sergeant, and staying quiet about his outside life, including his sexual orientation. Then, a female cadet went to his commander, with the revelation that Hall — who had been first in his ROTC pilot’s training class and long aspired … Continue reading
Dan Choi, the outspoken gay activist who was discharged from the army for revealing his sexuality, told Politico on Tuesday that he plans to re-enlist in the armed forces now that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is no longer law. Choi, a former army lieutenant who served in Iraq from 2006-2007, became a public face of … Continue reading
At 12:01 a.m., Sept. 20, 2011, an 18-year-old blot on America’s sense of fairness and the military’s reliance on integrity will be removed. Don’t ask don’t tell (DADT), which has been responsible for removing more than 14,500 able men and women from the armed forces because of their sexual orientation, will cease to be the … Continue reading
I have good news and bad news about conservatives and LGBT equality. The good news is that LGBT equality will come from the right. The bad news is that this will happen only if we learn how to talk to conservatives — both gay and straight — and listen to them in return. You wouldn’t … Continue reading
The mother of a gay teenager who committed suicide last year arrived at Rep. Michele Bachmann’s office in Waite Park, Minn. Thursday carrying a box with 141,000 signatures petitioning the congresswoman to publicly address gay bullying, The Advocate reports. Tammy Aaberg met for an hour with several on Bachmann’s staff, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, to … Continue reading
Not long after ink from the governor’s signature had dried on Illinois’ civil unions law, Todd and Mark Wathen began preparations for a June ceremony. The couple wanted to hold the event somewhere quaint in central Illinois, a place that would be convenient to family in Kentucky and Indiana and to their home in Mattoon. … Continue reading
Next spring’s gay marriage referendum may not just affect North Carolina’s constitution. It could change the dynamics of the May primary, particularly on the Republican side. The Legislature’s decision this week to place a statewide referendum on a same-sex marriage ban on the same day as the primary will bring out people who don’t otherwise … Continue reading
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly battled fellow Fox News host Bill O’Reilly last night, and reiterated her support of Chaz Bono and the transgender community in an on-air segment. Kelly earlier had interviewed fellow Fox associate Dr. Keith Ablow and excoriated him for his online Fox column and later comments that children could become transgender just by … Continue reading
Two top Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to delay the new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the military. In a letter to the Pentagon chief this week, California Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, the committee chairman, and South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson – two opponents of … Continue reading
A town clerk in Ledyard, N.Y., is standing in the way of letting a same-sex couple tie the knot, even though the state legalized marriage equality in June. Rose Marie Belforti, the town clerk for the small town of Ledyard, has publicly stated that she will not sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples and refused … Continue reading
Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.) said a push in the North Carolina state legislature to add an anti-gay-marriage amendment to the state constitution has prompted him to co-sponsor federal legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). “For a couple who [have] been married legally, every state should be required to give full faith and … Continue reading
A House bill to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act has now attracted 122 cosponsors—two more than the total number of sponsors from the previous congressional term, when the legislation was first introduced. A spokesman for Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, lead House sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, told The Advocate … Continue reading
Gay Iranians are sending a message via a new Facebook group — “We are everywhere.” London’s Guardian first noted that a string of anonymous Iranians were proclaiming their homosexuality in videos posted on the “We are everywhere” Facebook group as a protest. They live in a country that not only recently executed three men for … Continue reading
The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy will become history on Sept. 20, but for active-duty gays and lesbians planning to celebrate its demise, there are still plenty of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind. In a blog post Monday, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) released guidelines on the types of parties gays … Continue reading
CHEVY CHASE, Md. — Gov. Martin O’Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Attorney General Doug Gansler on Wednesday braced supporters of gay marriage rights in Maryland for a long battle and urged them to work hard throughout the state to persuade voters to support equal rights under the law for same-sex couples. O’Malley, a Democrat … Continue reading
Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) has made it official — she’s running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Herb Kohl (D) next year. If she wins, Baldwin will make history as the the first openly gay member of the Senate. But how much will her sexuality factor into the race (if at all)? Baldwin was … Continue reading
Fred Karger is openly-gay, a life-long Republican, Jewish, and running for the GOP nomination for President of the United States of America. Long shot? Hey, you never know. “I am a unique individual, living as a gay man, who believes in basic fundamental principles that are at the core of the Republican Party,” said Karger. “Living in … Continue reading
California’s same-sex marriage ban endured its latest legal test Tuesday as the state’s high court grilled attorneys on whether Proposition 8’s backers have legal authority to appeal a federal ruling that overturned the voter-approved measure. The tenor of the justices’ questioning during the more than hour-long hearing often leaned in favor of arguments by backers of … Continue reading
A soldier from Kinross has become the first person in Scotland to be convicted of transgender prejudice. Perth Sheriff Court heard how Terry Porter targeted Chloe Dow with verbal abuse and also threatened violence. Porter admitted breaching the peace by behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm. The 19-year-old will be … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 