via Ed Pilkington, The Guardian Democratic politicians in Virginia are weighing up their options in the wake of the general assembly’s vote to block the appointment of the state’s first openly gay judge. Senior Democrats expressed their dismay and outrage at the vote in the House of Delegates to reject a prominent local prosecutor, Tracy … Continue reading
via Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing Today I want to write about something that has bothered me for the better part of a decade. I’ve carved out no fewer than a dozen drafts of this post, all strangely unalike, all ultimately failing to accomplish the job I’ve set out to do. Truth is, I’ve been … Continue reading
Facebook via Greg Hoard, Slate Facebook on Tuesday launched a new program that makes it easier for anyone expressing suicidal thoughts to get help. The Associated Press reports that the social-networking giant has added a feature that allows users to instantly connect with crisis counselors through its chat messaging system. The new service works like so: If … Continue reading
via Omar Sacirbey, Religion News Service, The Washington Post Gay and Muslim groups say they are relieved after a Michigan lawmaker agreed to drop a provision in an anti-bullying bill that would have carved out an exemption for religious or moral beliefs. State Sen. Rick Jones, a Republican, inserted a carve-out for a “sincerely held … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post Speaking at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) responded to an audience member’s question about what she would do about teen bullying in schools by reiterating her oft-repeated call for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. “I think that this is an issue that needs to be … Continue reading
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post President Obama forcefully called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act on Saturday night at the annual Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner, but he did not come out in support of marriage equality, as some hoped he would do. The 3,000 attendees at the dinner, which took … Continue reading
This June the United Nation Human Rights Council narrowly passed its first-ever resolution calling for universal gay rights with the support of more than 80 countries. It was an historic milestone, a global recognition that gay rights and human rights were finally synonymous, at least on paper, here in New York at the world body. … 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