Iowa

MOLINE, Ill. — A same-sex couple from Davenport, Iowa this week said they were told they could not rent a reception hall in neighboring Moline, Ill., because the couple is gay. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Rev. Keith Ratliff, president of the Iowa and Nebraska conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has resigned over the group's national board resolution in support of same-sex marriage. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An agreement has been reached between the Catholic Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, and The Eychaner Foundation, a gay rights advocacy group, to allow an openly gay student to be presented with his scholarship award during the upcoming graduation ceremony. [ Read more → ]

CLINTON, Iowa -- A Catholic school in Iowa has refused to allow a gay rights advocacy group to present a $40,000 scholarship to an openly gay senior during his upcoming graduation ceremony. [ Read more → ]

The Sioux City Journal on Sunday devoted its front page to the topic of bullying, a response to the recent suicide of Kenneth Weishuhn, a 14-year-old gay teen who had been bullied at school after coming out to his friends. [ Read more → ]

PRIMGHAR, Iowa -- The family of a gay Iowa teen who committed suicide over the weekend, is speaking out, and say that anti-gay bullying is the reason Kenneth Weishuhn Jr., took his own life. [ Read more → ]

PRIMGHAR, Iowa -- Authorities in O'Brien County, Iowa are investigating the death of Kenneth Weishuhn, Jr., 14-year-old gay teen who committed suicide late Saturday night. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hundreds of gay marriage opponents gathered at the Iowa state capitol on Tuesday, where they prayed, sang and lobbied lawmakers to approve a ballot referendum to overturn the state’s marriage equality law. [ Read more → ]

DUNKERTON, Iowa -- The high school principal who allowed the Christian rock band Junkyard Prophet to espouse anti-gay, anti-abortion views at a student assembly last week, is resigning, according to school district officials. [ Read more → ]

LOS ANGELES -- There's been a ton of new polling data from around the country, and it's all encouraging. And more bad news for the National Organization for Marriage: they're under investigation by the Minnesota Elections Board, and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to play along with their attempts to hide donors. [ Read more → ]

DUNKERTON, Iowa -- School officials at Dunkerton High School were expecting to deliver a positive message about good choices when they invited the Christian rock bank Junkyard Dog to perform at a student assembly, but instead were treated to a lecture condemning homosexuality and abortion. [ Read more → ]

BOSTON -- Three Iowa Supreme Court justices who were ousted from the bench in a retention vote after ruling that Iowa's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, will be honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, according to an announcement by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A majority of Iowans oppose a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, according to a recently released poll by the Des Moines Register. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A suburban South Des Moines, Iowa church is under fire after its Pastor Mike DeMastus posted the message “Gay is not okay” on the church's marquee sign. [ Read more → ]

Lambda Legal on Wednesday filed suit against the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) on behalf of a married lesbian couple from Iowa who are seeking an accurate death certificate for their stillborn baby, Brayden. [ Read more → ]

DES MOINES -- A Polk County, Iowa judge on Wednesday ruled that the Iowa Department of Public Health must issue a new birth certificate in the names of a lesbian couple who are the parents of a now 2-year-old girl. [ Read more → ]

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann on Wednesday announced her exit from the race for the White House — much to the delight of LGBT advocates who abhorred the anti-gay positions she espoused during her campaign. [ Read more → ]

One leading advocate called 2011 an “epic” year for marriage equality. Was it? While only one state -- New York -- enacted full marriage rights for same-sex couples, it was the most populous state to do so. Five other states also moved closer to marriage equality than ever before. Public opinion shifted dramatically towards supporting equality. And the Obama administration announced that it no longer considers a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act constitutional. [ Read more → ]

Bob Vander Plaats’ endorsement of Rick Santorum has produced a backlash among conservatives in Iowa, some of whom are accusing the "Family Leader"president of engaging in “pay for play” schemes and selling his coveted support to the highest bidder. [ Read more → ]

OSKALOOSA, Iowa -- At a campaign stop in Oskaloosa, Iowa on Tuesday, GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich told a longtime resident of Oskaloosa that he should vote for President Obama rather than expect his support of gay Americans. [ Read more → ]