News

KIEV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian court on Thursday banned what would have been Ukraine’s first-ever gay pride demonstration, upholding a suit by city authorities, who argued the rally would disturb annual Kiev Day celebrations and could spark violence.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada is one step closer to giving voters another chance to allow same-sex marriage in the Silver State.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The graduation ceremony at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday was one student short, as a transgender teen refused to participate in the commencement exercises because the school told him he would have to wear a female student gown.

NEW YORK — The attorney for the man accused in the murder of a gay man in New York’s Greenwich Village on Saturday says his client is not guilty, and implied that his anti-gay bias is the result of being sexually abused as a child.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Senate on Wednesday passed a trio of bills that seek to lower property taxes for religious institutions and make it easier for some people to sue over the First Amendment, much to the chagrin of civil liberties and secular groups who claim Arizona lawmakers are violating the U.S. Constitution by favoring the faithful over non-believers.

MIAMI — In separate statements on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the attorney for Kaitlyn Hunt, the 18-year-old high school senior facing felony sex offender charges stemming from her relationship with her 14-year-old girlfriend, condemned the actions of prosecutors handling the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The group that pushed Minnesota lawmakers to legalize gay marriage invested more than $2 million in its successful lobbying effort.

BISBEE, Ariz. — The Bisbee, Ariz., city council is moving forward with a revised version of an ordinance that would legalize civil unions for same-sex couples.

NEW YORK — One after another, major U.S. corporations have updated anti-discrimination policies to protect gay, lesbian and transgender workers, drawing plaudits from gay-rights groups. There’s one prominent exception: Exxon Mobil Corp.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Crimes that target transgender person because of their sexual identity now carry an extra penalty in Nevada.