The group, led by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Freedom to Marry, “has come forward to urge members of Congress to end the unfairness,” said said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry.

“Because of the ‘gay exception’ created by DOMA, America’s legally married gay and lesbian couples – including service members risking their lives on the front lines for our safety – are treated as strangers under federal law, rather than provided the respect and protections federal law normally assures to married couples and their loved ones,” said Wolfson, in a statement.

“In America, we don’t have second-class citizens, and shouldn’t have second-class marriages, either,” he said.

The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R.1116 and S.598) currently has a record number of Congressional cosponsors with 136 in the House and 32 in the Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee considered the bill with a hearing in July and subsequently passed the legislation out of committee in November.

Under DOMA, legally married gay and lesbian couples are denied more 1,100 federal responsibilities and protections of marriage, including Social Security survivors benefits, federal employee health benefits for spouses, protections against spouses losing their homes in cases of severe medical emergencies, the right to sponsor a foreign born spouse for immigration, the guarantee of family and medical leave and the ability to file joint tax returns, among many others.

“The federal government should not be in the business of picking which marriages it likes and which it does not, but that is exactly what DOMA does,” said Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign president.

“The breadth and depth of this coalition shines a bright light on the heart-wrenching discrimination against loving, committed families caused by DOMA,” Solmonese said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out the legislation, known as Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, on a party-line vote of 10-8. The bill aims to strengthen and improve programs authorized under the existing law — first enacted in 1994 — to assist victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Sen. Patrick Leahy

Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) spoke highly of VAWA in his opening statement and said no other statute “has done more to stop domestic and sexual violence in our communities.”

“As a prosecutor in Vermont, I saw firsthand the destruction caused by domestic and sexual violence,” Leahy said. “Those were the days before VAWA, when too often people dismissed these serious crimes with a joke, and there were few, if any, services for victims. We have come a long way since then, but there is much more we must do.”

According to a statement from the committee, among the ways the bill builds on existing law is setting aside grant money for programs addressing sexual assault crime and enhancing training for officials to identify high risk offenders who could commit domestic violence homicide.

But the legislation also has enumerated protections for victims of domestic violence in the LGBT community. The bill would make grants available for programs providing services to LGBT victims of domestic violence. Additionally, the bill has non-discrimination language prohibiting VAWA grantees from discriminating on the basis sexual orientation or gender identity.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, thanked the committee in a statement for passing legislation that has specific language related to the LGBT community.

“Victims of domestic violence need assistance, not irrational barriers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Solmonese said. “We thank the members of the Judiciary Committee that have recognized the discrimination LGBT domestic violence victims face when seeking assistance. Specifically, Chairman Leahy has shown great leadership in reauthorizing VAWA and ensuring that the bill would explicitly make grants available for service providers doing innovative work with LGBT victims.”

But Leahy also chided Republican members of the committee for voting against the legislation for reasons that possibly alluded to the LGBT protections in the legislation.

Ellen DeGeneres

“DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store,” says the group.

“Funny that J.C. Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families,” the group wrote on its website.

“More sales will be lost than gained unless they replace their spokesperson quickly. Unless J.C. Penney decides to be neutral in the culture war, then their brand transformation will be unsuccessful.”

In response to the attack launched on DeGeneres by the AFA, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) on Thursday launched an online campaign in her defense.

“While designated hate groups try to start ‘culture wars,’ it’s clear that a vast majority of Americans today support Ellen as well as their LGBT friends and family members,” said Herndon Graddick, a senior GLAAD official, in a statement

“Selecting an out performer who has inspired and entertained millions is not only a smart business practice, but a reflection of how LGBT Americans today are an integral and valued part of the fabric of our culture,” Graddick said.

JC Penney officials indicated they would not surrender to the AFA’s demands.

“We share the same fundamental values as Ellen,” noted the company’s President, Michael Francis. “At J. C. Penney, we couldn’t think of a better partner to help us put the fun back into the retail experience.”

via; SPLC

Tracey Cooper-Harris

The suit, filed in Los Angeles on behalf of veteran Tracey Cooper-Harris and her spouse, Maggie Cooper-Harris, challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the statute that governs the VA policy.

“The government’s refusal to grant these benefits is a slap in the face to the gay and lesbian service members who put their lives on the line to protect our nation and our freedoms,” said Christine P. Sun, deputy legal director for the SPLC, in a statement.

“Especially given the recent repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, it’s shocking that the federal government continues to demean Tracey’s years of service and the service of many others in this way,” said Sun.

While in the Army, Tracey reached the rank of sergeant and served in Kyrgyzstan and Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. She received more than two dozen medals and commendations and was honorably discharged in 2003.

Five years later, she married her partner, Maggie, in Van Nuys, Calif. In 2010, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), which the VA has determined is connected to her military service. There is no known cure for MS, a disabling disease that attacks the brain and central nervous system.

Tracey received disability benefits, but the VA denied her application for additional compensation to which married veterans are entitled – benefits meant to help ensure financial stability for spouses – even though her marriage is legally recognized in California. The denial also means the couple will not be permitted to be buried together in a national veteran’s cemetery.

The VA’s decision was based on its definition of a spouse, spelled out in federal law, as “a person of the opposite sex who is a wife or a husband.”

Even if the VA were to change its definition of spouse, DOMA would prevent the VA from approving the benefits because it defines marriage for all federal purposes as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife,” according to the SPLC.

“I dedicated 12 years of my life to serving the country I love,” Tracey said.

“I’m asking only for the same benefits the brave men and women who served beside me enjoy. By refusing to recognize our marriage, the federal government has deprived Maggie and me of the peace of mind that such benefits are meant to provide to veterans and their families.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges that DOMA is unconstitutional because it discriminates on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. It also challenges the VA’s definition of “spouse” as discriminatory.

John Trasviña, assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, confirmed the rule would impact religious institutions during a conference call in response to a question from the Washington Blade, saying, “All HUD housing providers are covered under this rule.”

Asked to clarify whether these providers include religious institutions, Trasviña replied, “Yes.”

Ian Thompson, the ACLU’s legislative representative, first wrote in a blog posting on the ACLU’s site last week that the rule will cover religious institutions that receive money for federal programs.

“[T]he rule will require all organizations that operate HUD-assisted or HUD-insured housing facilities to serve LGBT Americans looking for shelter and housing — including religious organizations,” Thompson said. “[O]nce a religious organization chooses to provide housing services or programs with the aid of federal funds and benefits from HUD, it cannot shield itself from traditional safeguards that protect civil rights in the provision of those services.”

Thompson added that religious organizations providing entirely private housing services are unaffected by the change.

“We are pleased that HUD said that all organizations must provide equal access to HUD housing programs and did not sanction the use of religion to discriminate,” Thompson concluded.

The rule, first proposed in January, covers programs serving an estimated 5.5 million Americans, including those living in low-income subsidized housing.

The measure, which has four general components, requires owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing to make housing available to applicants and occupants regardless of their LGBT status.

The rule clarifies “families” otherwise eligible for HUD programs can’t be excluded because of one or more members of the family’s sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.

Additionally, the rule prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing or housing whose financing is insured by HUD from inquiring about the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant or occupant of a dwelling, whether renter or owner-occupied.

Trasviña said HUD clarified this provision doesn’t prohibit voluntary and anonymous reporting of LGBT status in state, local or federal data collection requirements.

MICHAEL KEY, Washington Blade

Shaun Donovan

The secretary made the announcement during his speech at the 24th annual Creating Change conference at the Hilton Baltimore. He’s the first Cabinet secretary to speak at a Creating Change conference, which are hosted by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.

According to Donovan, after the rule is published in the Federal Register, it will go into effect following a 30-day waiting period.

The rule, first proposed in January, will cover programs serving an estimated 5.5 million Americans, including those living in low-income subsidized housing.

The measure clarifies “families” otherwise eligible for HUD programs can’t be excluded because one or more members of the family is LGBT, in a same-sex relationship, or is perceived to be such an individual or in such a relationship.

It also prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing or housing whose financing is insured by HUD from inquiring about the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant or occupant of a dwelling, whether renter or owner-occupied.

The measure also has a bearing on mortgage insurance programs. It prohibits lenders from using LGBT status as a basis to determine a borrower’s eligibility for Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgage financing.

Tim Huelskamp

U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) is sponsoring the bill, H.R. 3828, which stipulates that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” cannot be used to permit gay weddings on military bases, or force chaplains to do anything against their beliefs, including marrying gay partners.

According to Huelskamp’s bill:

“A military chaplain shall not be directed, ordered, or required to perform any duty, rite, ritual, ceremony, service, or function that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the chaplain or contrary to the moral principles or religious beliefs of the chaplain’s faith group.”

[...]

“A military installation or other property owned, rented, or otherwise under the jurisdiction or control of the Department of Defense shall not be used to officiate, solemnize, or perform a marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman.”

Huelskamp’s bill aims to override previous Defense Department guidance that permits, but does not obligate, military chaplains to perform same-sex ceremonies, including on military installations, where permitted under state law.

According to a memorandum issued Sept. 30, 2011, following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford L. Stanley, said that military chaplains “may participate in or officiate any private ceremony, whether on or off a military installation, provided that the ceremony is not prohibited by applicable state and local law.”

“Further, a chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion or personal beliefs,” Stanley wrote.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director, Army Veteran Aubrey Sarvis, blasted the bill, calling it “another round of resistance tactics that have already been rejected by Congress and the American people.”

“There is no need for the so-called ‘protections’ in this bill or the proposed regulations,” Sarvis said, in a statement. “No chaplain today is being required or pressured to marry anyone, straight or gay. Period.”

“The bill’s ban on use of military facilities and chaplains officiating at ceremonies for gay and lesbian service members is nothing more than plain, old-fashion discrimination. There is no place for that prejudice in our armed forces or in our country,” said Sarvis.

Huelskamp said his bill — the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act — will ensure military facilities “are not used in contravention to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which states that marriage is between one man and one woman only.”

“Military installations exist to carry out the national defense of our nation, not to facilitate a narrow social agenda,” Huelskamp said.

The bill has been referred to the House Armed Services.

In a statement issued, the White House identified the White House LGBT Conference on Health — which will be held in Philadelphia on Feb. 16 — as the inaugural event for the initiative. The conference is set to feature remarks from Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

The statement says the events — which will take place from February to June 2012 — will be a collaboration between the White House Office of Public Engagement and other departments and agencies. Expected attendees are grassroots leaders, community organizers, advocates, students and other interested citizens.

Future White House LGBT conferences after the initial event will be held in other places throughout the country. Topics are set to include and housing and homelessness, safe schools and communities as well as HIV/AIDS prevention. According to the White House, more details will be made public later.

Fred Sainz, vice president of communications at the Human Rights Campaign, said the conferences are ”a good sign that the administration is attentive to the needs of our community.”

Absent from the list of planned topics for discussion at the conferences is employment discrimination. No federal law prohibits workplace discrimination against LGBT people. Advocates have been pushing President Obama to issue an executive order barring federal dollars from going to contractors without LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination policies.

Asked whether one of these conferences would address employment discrimination, a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The list of topics is not comprehensive.”

President Obama’s opening remarks Tuesday night held out the military as a good example of people working together, adding that service members “don’t obsess over their differences,” a comment that could certainly serve as a reference to how well the military has adapted to the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on gays.

And his closing remarks returned to that theme.

“When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight,” said the president. “When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.”

Some media reports had speculated before the speech that President Obama might use the speech to call for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or to say that his personal attitude about same-sex marriage had evolved to one of support. There were no statements from the White House to substantiate those reports, but Human Rights Campaign media relations director Michael Cole-Schwartz acknowledged that HRC had been “in touch with the White House to express our desire to see LGBT people and issues included in the president’s speech.”

“Not only does the President have a record of accomplishment to tout,” said Cole-Schwartz, “including issues important to our community can also be a powerful tool toward further progress. We understand that there are many competing demands on a state of the union address and we hope our community will be given due consideration.”

Asked what, specifically, HRC asked for, Cole-Schwartz said, “We made the case for why several issues could and should be included in the address, particularly how the need for workplace protections for LGBT people dovetails with the President’s likely messages about jobs.”

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama called for repeal of the federal law barring openly gay people from serving in the military. And last year, just a month after signing into law the bill that repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the president used his State of the Union address to urge universities that had been barring military recruiters over the gay ban to start allowing recruiters back on campus.

This year, President Obama brought an indirect spotlight on gays in the military by inviting one openly gay service member to sit with the First Lady in her special gallery seats in the House chamber to watch the speech.
Aubrey Sarvis, head of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), called the gesture “a clear victory in the fight to achieve full equality for service members.”

The service member was Colonel Ginger Wallace, an openly lesbian intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. Also included among 28 guests was a second openly gay guest, Lorelei Kilker. Kilker, an environmental chemist, filed a lawsuit that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission used to secure equal pay for women at a Colorado company.

Wallace, of McLean, Virginia, and Kilker of Brighton, Colorado, were guests at a reception at the White House and then traveled to the Capitol with the First Lady. Their partners watched the speech at the White House at a special event.

The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce sent out a press release Tuesday, noting that its communications director, Laura Berry, would also be at the White House during the speech for a “social media watch party” that was to be followed by “a life Q & A with top Obama advisers.”

The Republican Party had its response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, via Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. And Log Cabin Republican leader R. Clarke Cooper issued a press statement Tuesday morning criticizing Democrats for “telling a thousand and one stories to distract the American voter, but even Queen Scheherazade couldn’t spin her way out of a thousand days without passing a budget.”

“American families, gay and straight, all know that the first step to regaining fiscal health is writing a budget that clearly sets out priorities and limits spending to what you can afford,” said Cooper. “Senate Democrats have engaged in an unprecedented dereliction of duty. There is nothing President Obama can say in the State of the Union address tonight to hide their failure from the American people. Just more words will not alleviate voters’ discontent. Log Cabin Republicans look forward to electing a Republican Senate majority this November that is ready to get down to business.”

White House officials are taking time to answer questions related to the State of the Union via Twitter for the next several days. On Thursday, it will hold “community-focused discussions with policy advisors,” including a specific time slot to address LGBT questions. That conversation, with White House Senior Policy Advisor Miriam Vogel and openly gay White House Associate Director for Public Engagement Gautam Raghavan, will take place at 11 a.m. People can pose questions on Twitter by using the hashtag #WHChat. People can follow the questions and answers on Twitter at #WHLive. And anyone who cannot follow the discussion live, can access it later at whitehouse.gov.

And on Monday, President Obama will participate in a Google+Hangout event from the West Wing of the White House to answer questions that have been submitted. People wishing to propose a question can go to youtube.com/whitehouse.

For more details and a complete schedule of events, click here.

Giffords, popularly known as “Gabby,” cited her continuing efforts toward recovery from the life altering head wound she suffered during the shooting as the primary reason for stepping down from her seat. Giffords, 41, was shot at close range in the head during a “Congress On Your Corner” event outside a grocery store in northwest Tucson on Januray 8, 2011.

In a video message to constituents and supporters announcing her resignation, Giffords said, “I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona I will step down this week.”

“I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country,” she said.

Watch:

A statement posted on her Congressional website stated that Giffords will attend President Obama’s “State of the Union Address” on Tuesday as one of her final acts as a member of the Congress — she will submit her resignation to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday.

The statement also said Giffords plans to “finish” the Congress on your Corner event where the shooting happened before she leaves office.

Giffords — who has astonished family, friends, and her doctors with her remarkable recovery — represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses Pima County and the area in and around the city of Tucson.

Prior the the shooting in Tucson last year, Giffords had been considered a rising star in the Democratic party, a member of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, a strong supporter of gay rights, and had been considering a bid for Senate this fall.

During the course of her recovery, she has been absent from Capitol Hill except for a surprise return to vote in August on an agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Giffords “a true bright star — a dynamic and creative public servant.”

“Gabby’s message of bipartisanship and civility is one that all in Washington and the nation should honor and emulate.” Pelosi said in a statement following Giffords’ announcement.

“I join all my colleagues in Congress in thanking Gabby for the honor of calling her colleague and wishing Gabby and Mark great success and happiness. She will be missed in the House of Representatives, but her legacy in the Congress and her leadership for our nation will certainly continue.”

The report by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) — Playgrounds and Prejudice: Elementary School Climate in the United States — examines students’ and teachers’ experiences with biased remarks and bullying, and their attitudes about gender expression and family diversity.

“School climate and victimization can affect students’ educational outcomes and personal development at every grade level,” said GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard.

“Name-calling and bullying in elementary schools reinforce gender stereotypes and negative attitudes toward people based on their gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion or family composition,” reports Byard.

“Students and teachers report frequent use of disparaging remarks like ‘retard’ and ‘that’s so gay,’ and half of the teachers surveyed report bullying as a “serious problem” among their students.

“Students who do not conform to traditional gender norms are at higher risk for bullying, and are less likely than their peers to feel safe at school.

Key Findings from the report include:

• The most common forms of biased language in elementary schools, heard regularly by both students and teachers, are the use of the word “gay” in a negative way, such as “that’s so gay,” Many also report regularly hearing students make homophobic remarks, such as “fag” or “lesbo.”
• Approximately 75 percent of students reported that students at their school are called names, made fun of or bullied with at least some regularity.
• Nearly 1 in 10 of elementary students in 3rd to 6th grade indicate that they do not always conform to traditional gender norms/roles – either they are boys who others sometimes think, act or look like a girl, or they are girls who others sometimes think, act or look like a boy.
• Gender nonconforming students are less likely than other students to feel very safe at school (42% vs 61%), and are more likely than others to indicate they sometimes do not want to go to school because they feel unsafe or afraid there.
• Only a third (34%) of teachers report having personally engaged in efforts to create a safe and supportive classroom environment for gender nonconforming students.
• While an overwhelming majority of elementary school teachers say that they include representations of different families when the topic of families comes up in their classrooms (89%), less than a quarter of teachers report any representation of lesbian, gay or bisexual parents (21%) or transgender parents (8%).
• Only a quarter (24%) of teachers report having personally engaged in efforts to create a safe and supportive classroom environment for families with LGBT parents.

“Over the past few years, there has been an increase in research on bullying in schools, including elementary schools,” said GLSEN Senior Director of Research & Strategic Initiatives Dr. Joseph Kosciw.

“However, our report is one of the few that examines bias-based bullying at the elementary school level and the first to examine incidence of homophobic remarks and the negative experiences of children who do not conform to societal standards in their gender expression from a national vantage point,” he said.

GLSEN also released Ready, Set, Respect! GLSEN’s Elementary School Toolkit, an instructional resource developed to help educators address issues raised in Playgrounds and Prejudice, particularly teachers’ willingness to address but lack of understanding of biased language, LGBT-inclusive family diversity and gender nonconformity.

The report was based on national surveys of 1,065 elementary school students in 3rd to 6th grade and 1,099 elementary school teachers of K-6th grade, and were conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of GLSEN during November and December 2010.

A copy of the complete Playgrounds and Prejudice report can be downloaded here (PDF).

Carney made the remarks on whether Obama would announce support for marriage equality during the State of the Union address, which is set to take place Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, in response to a question from the Washington Blade.

“I will not rule anything in or out,” Carney said. “I’m just not going to talk about — beyond pointing at his words — his personal views on this. I think his administration’s policies on related issues are there for people to judge.”

Obama doesn’t support same-sex marriage, but since October 2010 he’s suggested his views could “evolve” in favor of same-sex marriage, However, he hasn’t yet made an endorsement in support of marriage rights for gay couples.

However, in 1996, Obama, during his bid to become an Illinois state senator, said in a questionnaire response to the Windy City Times, “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”

Carney commented on the possibility of marriage equality in the State of the Union address after CNN’s Dan Lothian asked for an update on Obama’s evolving views on marriage. Among CNN’s questions were whether Obama talks with people about marriage or reads books as part of this evolution process.

The White House spokesperson said he doesn’t “have an update” on Obama’s position on marriage, but articulated accomplishments that Obama has achieved on LGBT issues in his response.

“I think it is important as part of my answer here to just remind you about the president’s record on these issues,” Carney said. “Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and on marriage in particular, having the federal government stand down from, or his administration stand down from defending DOMA, believing that it’s unconstitutional and working to have it repealed.”

Carney said he’d leave it to the president to describe his “personal views,” but reiterated his administration’s record on “these issues that are very important” is clear.

More than 20 of the mayors attended a morning news conference at the Capital Hilton in Washington, including the coalition’s chairpersons: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D), openly lesbian Houston Mayor Annise Parker (D), San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders (R), and Boston’s Democratic Mayor Thomas Menino.

In a joint statement, the mayors pledged to advocate for marriage equality, and called upon mayors from across the nation to join their coalition:

Mayors for the Freedom to Marry is a broad-based and nonpartisan group of mayors who believe that all people should be able to share in the love and commitment of marriage … We understand that the strength and health of our cities are enhanced when all families are protected and supported. We know many people in loving and committed same-sex relationships who are active participants in improving our communities and we’ve seen how important marriage has been for them and their families.

[...]

We invite our colleagues to join us in signing this statement as we advocate for the freedom to marry and build a nation where all loving couples who want to make the life-long commitment can share in the joy and respect of marriage.

Chicago’s mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama, is among the U.S. mayors who have already signed the pledge, as did mayors representing Denver, Minneapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis and St. Paul.

“It was nearly eight years ago that my city was the first large city in the country to marry same-sex couples,” Menino said at Friday’s news conference.

“Back then, it was a big deal. People were protesting everywhere, and we were the focus of international news. Well, eight years later, I’m here to tell you that marriage for gay couples has made my city of Boston a much better place,” Menino said.

Watch a clip from the news conference here:

Houston’s openly lesbian Mayor Annise Parker, who recently celebrated 21 years with her partner Kathy, shared her personal story saying that denial of marriage “makes it more difficult to provide our children insurance; it makes it more difficult to assure custody and it makes it more difficult to provide them access to the benefits of our society.”

Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa said that Mayors should sign on to this effort because marriage discrimination harms local communities.

“Law-abiding, tax-paying families deserve the same opportunities, rights and responsibilities afforded to every other family in this country,” Villaraigosa said.

“If we truly believe in family values, we should value all families. Denying gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry weakens society by hurting our communities, neighbors, and families,” he said.

Following is the complete list of mayors in the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” coalition, as of Jan. 20. (Click on list to enlarge.)

Trailing in the polls — even in the socially conservative state of South Carolina where the primary will be held Saturday — Perry told supporters in North Charleston, S.C.., he was ending his bid for the White House and throwing his support behind former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

“As I’ve contemplated the future of this campaign, I have to come to the conclusion that there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign,” Perry said. “Therefore, today, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president of the United States.”

Perry called Gingrich a “conservative visionary who can transform our country.”

In likely reference to Gingrich’s marital infidelities, Perry said Gingrich is “not perfect,” adding “there is forgiveness for those who seek God, and I believe in power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my Christian faith.”

But the thrice-married Gingrich came under additional scrutiny following Perry’s exit on Thursday when media outlets published interviews with Marianne Gingrich, his second wife, who said the former House speaker had asked her for an open marriage.

Perry’s exit and new support for Gingrich could give the former House speaker a fighting chance in South Carolina, where the candidate has been encroaching on Romney in the polls.

The three-term Texas bows out of the presidential race after heavily courting the evangelical vote and espousing anti-gay positions throughout his presidential campaign.

The unofficial kick-off of his campaign took place in August at controversial day of prayer called “The Response” that was attended by an estimated 30,000 people. The event was reportedly financed by the anti-gay American Family Association.

Upon officially entering the presidential race, Perry signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage committing himself to back a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. During in a speech New Hampshire, he praised efforts to repeal the same-sex marriage law in the state.

But Perry began pulling out the stops with anti-gay campaign tactics when fell from his status as front-runner to the bottom of the pack after poor debate performances and a series of gaffes — most notably when he forgot during a debate the third in a group of departments that he would eliminate as president.

In a Iowa TV ad called “Strong,” which was widely circulated on the Internet, in which Perry says, “There’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”

Perry also criticized President Obama’s decision to require his administration to have more active engagement against anti-gay human rights abuses, saying the act was an example of ”an administration at war with people of faith in this country.” The candidate also riled LGBT advocates when he said during a CNN interview he would “absolutely” reinstate “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” if elected president.

The pastors spoke at a press conference staged outside the SPLC offices in Montgomery, Ala,. by Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), which the SPLC lists as an anti-gay hate group.

“The SPLC has moved from monitoring actual hate groups like the KKK and neo-Nazis to slandering mainstream Christian organizations with that very same hate group label,” said Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel, affiliated with Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.

“By extension, the SPLC is smearing billions of Christians and Jews worldwide as haters simply because they embrace the traditional Judeo-Christian ethics,” Barber said.

Rachel Conner of Abiding Truth Ministries, also listed as a hate group, charged that “the Southern Poverty Law Center has now become a tool of the God-haters, promoting hatred in the form of vicious lies against Christianity.”

“This has nothing to do with hate and tolerance,” said Peter LaBarbera, president of AFTAH. “It has everything to do with pro-gay politicking.”

According to SPLC staff, “In fact, it has everything to do with hate and intolerance.”

Mark Potok, editor of the SPLC’s Intelligence Report responded to the accusations:

“Our listing of anti-gay hate groups is completely unrelated to religion, Christianity or the Bible. These groups are listed because they repeatedly lie in an effort to defame LGBT people, an exercise they’ve been extraordinarily successful at. The idea that we are criticizing these groups because they represent Judeo-Christian morality is simply ludicrous.

“The SPLC does not identify anti-gay hate groups based on their religious views. Instead, the SPLC lists anti-gay groups on the basis of spreading known falsehoods and demonizing propaganda against LGBT people, such as the claim that gay men largely orchestrated the Holocaust.”

In 2007, LaBarbera claimed that there was “a disproportionate incidence of pedophilia” among gay men, and has also compared the alleged dangers of homosexuality to those of “smoking, alcohol and drug abuse.”

The AFTAH website also describes homosexuality as a “lethal behavior addiction.”

In a written statement read at the news conference, Abiding Truth Ministries founder Scott Lively called on God to destroy the SPLC:

“My prayer, as one who really does hate irrational prejudice, is that the Lord by His sovereign power will remove this dangerous, hate-spreading organization from our nation and cause its leaders and members to repent for their wickedness,” Lively said. “I want to make clear that I am asking God himself to destroy their organization.”