News

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC), a leading civil rights panel in the state, has voted in favor of a resolution supporting gay marriage and to formally oppose any constitutional amendment that would overturn the decision. “The ICRC supports the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision on civil marriage equality for all adults and opposes efforts […]

The City of West Hollywood plans to honor the marriages of gay and lesbian couples with a plaque inscribed with a quote from Nelson Mandela, the Los Angeles Times has reported. The bronze marker will be installed in West Hollywood Park on September 8, a site where many gay weddings were held when it was […]

A 15-year-old Michigan boy says two other teenagers beat him because he is gay, and two advocacy groups spoke out this week against the beating. The attack on Steven Harmon on August 13 is being called a hate crime by his family. Investigators say Steven was punched repeatedly by two teenagers in a parking lot […]

Gay marriage supporters in Maine began running a television advertisement statewide Thursday, featuring gay and straight Mainers talking about the importance of equality. It is the first television advertisement in an anticipated referendum on Maine’s gay marriage law. Maine’s gay marriage law was scheduled to take effect on September 11, but it’s been sidetracked as […]

A federal judge on Wednesday set a January 11, 2010 date for the highly anticipated trial in the legal challenge to California’s voter-approved Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage. The judge, Vaughn R. Walker of Federal District Court in San Francisco, said arguments would begin then over the fate of Prop 8, which Californians […]

The Fort Worth police chief said Tuesday that his department is implementing new policies in the wake of a controversial bar check at the Rainbow Lounge last June. Chief Jeff Halstead said officials are still investigating what happened during the June 28 raid on the gay bar by Fort Worth police officers and state agents […]

The debate over gay marriage took center stage Monday night at the Durham, North Carolina City Council meeting. After no debate and little public comment, the council unanimously passed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage. The resolution, introduced by Durham resident Joshua Lee Weaver, calls upon the State to extend marriage rights and benefits to same-sex […]

The U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights division has hired a veteran Senate staffer and gay rights activist Matt Nosanchuk as senior counselor and liaison to the gay and lesbian community. The announcement comes on the heels of yesterday’s move by the DOJ to dismiss a federal suit arguing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is […]

Deliberate attacks against gay men in Iraq has risen significantly this year at the hands of Iraqi militias and death squads, and authorities in Baghdad are doing nothing to stop the violence, according to a report released Monday by an international human rights organization. The 67-page report by New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) , […]

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan vetoed the controversial anti-discrimination ordinance on Monday, citing negative comments and arguing that there is no need for the measure. City leaders passed the measure that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing and credit by a 7 to 4 vote last […]