News

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Thursday said that two leases held by the Boy Scouts of America do not violate the constitutional separation of church and state, despite the Scouts’ policies that prohibit atheists, agnostics and homosexuals from becoming members.

In the wake of a string of victories for same-sex marriage, former Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich has reportedly called on the Republican Party to accept the “reality” of marriage equality.

TRENTON, N.J. — A bill has been introduced that could make New Jersey the nation’s second state to impose limits on gay-to-straight “reparative,” or “conversion” therapy.

Rhode Island state Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Democrat) said Monday that, despite her opposition to same-sex marriage, she expects the issue will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee in the upcoming legislative session if the House advances a bill.

LGBT advocates in Virginia are rallying around an anti-discrimination bill ahead of the state’s 30-day 2013 legislative session that begins on Jan. 9, but Virginia’s history with LGBT rights and the language of the bill has attracted detractors from within the community.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the University of Toledo’s decision to fire a high-level human resources administrator, who wrote a newspaper opinion column challenging the idea that LGBT people deserve the same civil rights protections as members of racial minority groups.

As lawmakers prepare to bring same-sex marriage legislation up for vote in the Illinois General Assembly early next month, a group of conservative religious organizations have formed a coalition against the bill.

The final version of major Pentagon budget legislation includes watered-down “conscience” language similar to the anti-gay provision found in the House version of the bill, according to a top House Democrat on defense issues.

Business will resume as normal in Uganda in February, as it has at the start of every parliamentary session since the “Kill the Gays” bill was proposed in 2009, with the possibility of the bill still existing on the agenda. We have been fighting this same bill for three years now, and it continues to come back. To claim that we “killed” the bill isn’t really honest with ourselves and with others that we want to get involved in protecting LGBT Ugandan people.

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — The parents of 14-year-old David Phan, an openly gay student who shot and killed himself in front of horrified classmates at on November 29, are speaking out and accusing school officials of “mishandling” the situation that led to their son’s death.