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  • IOC using ‘quiet diplomacy’ with Russian leaders to ensure Olympic safety

    LONDON — International Olympic Committee presidential candidate Ng Ser Miang says the Olympic body is engaged in “quiet diplomacy” with Russian leaders to make sure next year’s Winter Games in Sochi are not affected by the country’s new anti-gay legislation.

  • Vandal targets historic New Orleans home of gay rights activist

    NEW ORLEANS – A gay activist in New Orleans says somebody tore a rainbow flag from his balcony and spray-painted the word “fags” on the house he and his partner share, and police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime..

  • Judge hears details of gay Miss. mayoral candidate’s slaying

    CLARKSDALE, Miss. — A Mississippi judge has allowed prosecutors to proceed with their case against a man charged in the death of mayoral candidate Marco McMillian.

  • Russian paratroopers attack gay activist during military pride celebration

    ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A lone gay rights activist was confronted by a group of Russian paratroopers in St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday as he waved a gay pride banner in direct violation of the country’s anti-gay “propaganda” laws.

  • San Diego county clerk withdraws bid to revive Proposition 8

    SAN DIEGO — San Diego’s county clerk, the man charged with issuing marriage licenses there and the most prominent public figure to move against gay marriage in California since its recent resumption, has withdrawn a legal bid to stop the practice, saying he was ceding the fight to a group that already has a similar challenge pending.

  • Amsterdam floods pink for annual Gay Pride festival

    AMSTERDAM — Rainbow flags are flying from scores of Amsterdam buildings as tens of thousands of festival-goers, many dressed in pink or wearing studded leather, party it up at one of the city’s biggest events: the annual Gay Pride celebration.

  • Gay couple says they were forced to sit in the back of the bus for holding hands

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A same-sex couple from Portland, Ore., said they received an unfriendly welcome when they arrived in Albuquerque, N.M., recently – they claim they were forced to sit in back of the airport shuttle bus because they were holding hands.

  • U.S. Senators express concern over Russia’s anti-gay laws, Olympic safety

    WASHINGTON — At least two U.S. Senators are speaking out over growing concerns of Russia’s anti-gay laws, and how enforcement of those laws would affect athletes and spectators attending the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

  • N.J. state attorneys say judge should not rush into allowing same-sex marriage

    A New Jersey judge should not rush into allowing same-sex marriage in the state without carefully considering quickly changing legal issues, lawyers for the state government said in a court filing Friday.

  • Latvian distiller owner tries to defuse boycott of Stoli vodka

    RIGA, Latvia — Many gay bars in North America have stopped selling the famous Stolichnaya vodka brand to protest Russia’s crackdown on the gay community. But the vodka’s maker has joined forces with Latvia’s leading gay rights group to say that the boycott is misplaced.