News

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Republican state senator from northern Iowa says homosexual lifestyles pose a health risk to him and his family in comments that drew a sharp rebuke from an openly gay Democratic senator.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court is to hear arguments Wednesday on whether a first-of-its-kind law that prohibits licensed mental health professionals in California from offering therapies aimed at making gay and lesbian teenagers straight violates the civil rights of practitioners and parents.

New Zealand will become the 13th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage as a bill to amend the current marriage law was approved moments ago by the country’s Parliament in its third and final reading on Wednesday.

While the Boy Scouts of America wrestles with declining memberships and whether to rescind its long-standing policy against gay scouts and gay and lesbian scout leaders, one “all welcoming” scouting organization says it’s seeing a boost in enrollment from parents and kids looking for a more inclusive alternative.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J – A new polls finds that a majority of New Jersey voters say they want the opportunity to vote on same-sex marriage, and given the choice, they’d vote yes.

New Zealand is expected to become the 13th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage as a bill to amend the current marriage law comes before the country’s Parliament for its third and final reading later tonight.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Students at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio, are fighting for a longtime physical education teacher and coach they say was been fired by the Catholic Diocese of Columbus because she’s gay.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Residents of the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak will vote in November on a human rights ordinance that would make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and a number of other factors.

OKLAHOMA CITY — A nonbinding resolution to reaffirm marriage as a union between a man and a woman and support the federal Defense of Marriage Act has been approved in the Oklahoma Senate.

HONOLULU — A judge has ruled that a Hawaii bed and breakfast violated the state’s public accommodations law when it denied a room to two women because they’re gay.