News

WASHINGTON — A Republican lawmaker has introduced new legislation aimed at prohibiting gay and lesbian service members from marrying on U.S. military bases, and would require new regulations related to chaplains and other military personnel.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state took another step closer to becoming the seventh state to offer full marriage equality as a Senate panel on Thursday advanced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

The White House announced on Friday it plans to host a series of LGBT conferences throughout the country in early 2012 so the public can “hear directly” from the administration on efforts “to ensure health, well-being, security, justice, and equality for LGBT Americans.”

AUGUSTA, Maine — Marriage equality is headed back to the ballot for a second time in Maine, as gay rights advocates on Thursday submitted petitions signed by 105,000 voters, far more than the 57,277 needed to force a referendum in November.

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is doing exactly what it accused gay activists of doing: buying votes. In New Hampshire, the organization has pledged $250,000 to “reward” politicians who “stand up for restoring traditional marriage.”

Starbucks, Google, and Alcoa are the latest in a growing list of major corporations to announce their support for marriage equality in Washington state.

The New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a hearing on HB 1264 — essentially a “License To Discriminate” bill — that would allow businesses that oppose marriage equality to deny services to same-sex couples based on their “conscience” or religious beliefs.

While there was only one direct reference to anything gay in President Obama’s third State of the Union address, the speech and a large number of White House activities surrounding it was inclusive of gays.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — At a gathering on the steps of the governor’s residence in Annapolis, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday called on the state’s residents and lawmakers to join him in supporting his newly drafted same-sex marriage bill.

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey state Senate committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Garden State, while Gov. Chris Christie vowed to veto the bill if it reached his desk, and instead said that gay marriage should be decided by the voters.