News

ST. PAUL, Minn. — As more state legislatures around the country consider whether to legalize same-sex weddings, an analysis of gay marriage votes in eight states shows that Republican lawmakers who backed it often faced consequences — including loss of their seats.

SIKESTON, Mo. — An openly gay teen in the southeast Missouri town of Sikeston will be allowed to take his boyfriend to the prom, school district officials said Friday.

A pair of bills introduced in the U.S. Congress this week would change the definition of “spouse” in four areas of U.S. Code related to recognition, support, and benefits for married service members and veterans, in an effort to provide key military benefits for same-sex spouses of gay service members.

PRINCETON, NJ — The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) ranges from 1.7 percent in North Dakota to 5.1 percent in Hawaii, and 10 percent in the District of Columbia, according to a new study by Gallup.

A gay couple in Singapore seeking to abolish a long-standing law banning gay sex had their case heard in court Thursday, just days after a former department store manager sued his boss for alleged discrimination against homosexuals.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to allow the same-sex spouse of a member of the military to be buried in a U.S. national cemetery. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki used his discretionary authority to allow the burial of Nancy Lynchild’s ashes, the agency said Thursday.

A school district in southeast Missouri is facing a threat of legal action over a policy that prohibits same-sex couples from attending prom together. The Southern Poverty Law Center on Thursday accused the Scott County Central School District in Sikeston, Mo., of discrimination and gave the district until Feb. 25 to revise the school dance policy or face a potential lawsuit.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hundreds of gay marriage supporters packed Minnesota’s Capitol rotunda on Thursday as they start a push for its legalization by the Legislature.

RICHMOND, Va. — About 50 people gathered in front of the John Marshall Court House Building in Richmond, Va. on Thursday for an annual Valentine’s Day demonstration to support same-sex marriage.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that the GOP’s House leadership is considering a plan for moving forward with the Violence Against Women Act legislation.