LGBTQ Nation

A court ruling declaring Florida's ban against gay adoption unconstitutional was upheld Wednesday in a decision by the Third District Court of Appeals in Miami, affirming the controversial adoption of two foster children by a gay Miami couple. [caption id="attachment_10827" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Martin Gill and... [ Read more → ]

Dan Savage, the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice columnist, has a message for gay teens struggling with their sexuality, discrimination and school bullying: "It gets better." [caption id="attachment_10809" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Dan Savage"][/caption] The Seattle-based activist and author of Savage Love, launched a YouTube channel... [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_10791" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Margaret Witt"][/caption] Closing arguments concluded Tuesday in the case of a lesbian who wants to be reinstated to the Air Force Reserve in Washington state. Former Major Margaret Witt testified on Monday in a trial at the U.S. Courthouse in Tacoma,... [ Read more → ]

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked efforts to authorize repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members, voting unanimously against advancing the Defense Authorization Bill -- legislation that included the provision. The massive, $726 billion defense policy bill would have overturned the 1993 law,... [ Read more → ]

A majority of Americans support gay marriage, according to an Associated Press poll released this week. In the poll, 52 percent of Americans said yes when asked: “Should the federal government give legal recognition to marriages between couples of the same-sex, or not?” That’s an... [ Read more → ]

A new New York State law permits unmarried partners -- including gay couples -- to jointly adopt a child. Governor David Paterson announced Sunday that he signed the adoption bill, which was effective immediately. The law also substitutes the gender-neutral term "married couple" in the... [ Read more → ]

Archbishop John Nienstedt of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, announced Monday that every Catholic in the state will be mailed a DVD defending marriage as between one man and one woman. [caption id="attachment_10743" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Nienstedt"][/caption] It's the latest effort to... [ Read more → ]

Pop star Lady Gaga has made a somber plea to U.S. senators to repeal the law barring gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. In a video released Friday, Lady Gaga calls on the Senate to repeal the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't... [ Read more → ]

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday, angered by the Pope's response to the child abuse scandal, his homophobic comments about gay relationships and his claims that condoms spread rather than prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. The march proceeded... [ Read more → ]

Some of Minnesota’s Catholic bishops are preparing a push against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the final two months of the 2010 campaign season. [caption id="attachment_10673" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Quinn"][/caption] While most Minnesota bishops have not yet made their plans public, Bishop John Quinn of... [ Read more → ]

A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a community college student who claimed a professor violated his right to free speech by stopping him from finishing a speech against gay marriage. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals... [ Read more → ]

Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has formalized his union with his longtime partner Michael Mronz in a private ceremony in Bonn on Friday, the daily newspaper Bild announced in its Saturday edition. [caption id="attachment_10693" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Westerwelle, left, and Mronz"][/caption] Although only close family were... [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_10638" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Alekseyev"][/caption] Russia's top gay-rights activist says he was kidnapped and pressured by his captors to withdraw a complaint against Moscow authorities from the European Court of Human Rights. Nikolai Alekseyev resurfaced early on Saturday in Moscow after being arrested at the... [ Read more → ]

[caption id="attachment_10647" align="alignleft" width="191" caption="Curtis Martin"][/caption] A California man was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of attempted murder and committing a hate crime after an employee at a Denny’s Restaurant was stabbed in the neck and throat. Police said the unnamed waiter was at... [ Read more → ]

Gay and lesbians may be gaining more rights across the nation, but they should steer clear of Montana Republicans, who have included the criminalization of homosexual acts in their party platform for 2010. The party adopted the official platform in June that keeps a long-held... [ Read more → ]

David Cicilline, the openly gay mayor of Providence, won the Democratic nomination in Tuesday's Rhode Island congressional race. He's vying to replace Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), to represent the state's 1st Congressional District. [ Read more → ]

A 15-year-old Indiana teen took his own life last week in what is thought to be another suicide at least partially connected to school bullying, a result of the teen's perceived sexual orientation. [ Read more → ]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to schedule a vote next week on the annual Defense Authorization Bill -- legislation that contains language that would allow the Defense Department to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” [ Read more → ]

Charlie Crist, the current governor of Florida and Independent candidate for U.S. Senate, is preparing to endorse an wide array of pro-LGBT legislation and gay rights issues, as early as this week, according to a report by RawStory.com. [ Read more → ]

A lesbian couple in Tennessee are afraid to return to their charred remains of their home after it was burned to the ground and the word "Queers" was spray painted on their garage in what is being investigated as a potential hate crime. [ Read more → ]