PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — An opponent of same-sex marriage, Governor Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill giving domestic partners the right to claim the bodies of — and make funeral arrangements for — their loved ones, reports the Nashua Telegraph. The socially conservative Republican said the proposed protection represents a “disturbing trend” of the incremental […]

D.C. lawmakers have moved forward with a proposed same-sex marriage bill. On Tuesday, city council members from the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary approved the bill 4-1, and it now goes to the full council. The committee held two public hearings on the bill after it was introduced in early October and heard […]

The State Senate delayed a highly anticipated vote on same-sex marriage on Tuesday, putting off the issue indefinitely as gay rights supporters continued to lobby for additional votes, reports The New York Times. Republicans and Democrats said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the measure was still several votes short of the 32 necessary for approval. […]

RUSSELLVILLE, Alabama — Cynthia Stewart, a 17-year-old junior at Tharptown High School in northern Alabama, is a member of her school’s prom planning committee and had personally raised over $200 for the prom. But if she shows up to the prom, it may be canceled for everyone. The reason: Cynthia is an out lesbian. When […]

D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) released Monday a revised draft of the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the nation’s capital, removing language that would have phased out city registration of new domestic partnerships, the Washington Blade reports. Mendelson, who chairs the Council committee that has jurisdiction over the bill, also broadened the […]

The nation’s largest doctors’ group has agreed to join efforts to repeal the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, Associated Press reports: The American Medical Association says the ‘don’t ask, don’t-tell’ law creates an ethical dilemma for gay service members and the doctors who treat them. The AMA also voted to declare that gay marriage […]

Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi visited Oprah Monday for their first interview as a married couple. “This is the smartest, kindest, most wonderful woman that you’ll ever, ever know,” Ellen gushed as she introduced her wife. Speaking just a week following the defeat of Maine’s gay marriage law, Degeneres commented on why same-sex marriage […]

New York Governor David Paterson has asked the state legislature to vote Tuesday on a bill that would allow same-sex marriage, calling it “an issue that touches on the very core of our citizenship.” In a rare midyear address to a joint session of the Legislature, Paterson singled out his gay marriage proposal in a […]

Fighting back tears, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urged the New York state Senate Monday to “stand up” and pass the same-sex marriage bill to prove “all New York families are equal,” the Daily News reports. Quinn, the first gay person to lead the City Council, struggled several times to control her emotions as she […]

The Kansas City Chiefs released controversy-plagued running back Larry Johnson on Monday, the day he was scheduled to come back from his two-week suspension. On his Twitter account two weeks ago, Johnson questioned Chiefs coach Todd Haley’s competence, insulted followers and used a gay slur. He repeated the gay slur the next day to reporters […]

A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot next year, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found. Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were […]

ASHEVILLE, NC — With the election of three new City Council members, Asheville will consider extending benefits to same-sex partners of city employees. On Friday, Councilman-elect Gordon Smith said he hopes to extend domestic partner benefits as one of his first priorities once new council members are sworn in December 8. A majority of incoming […]

The battle over gay rights moves to New Jersey and the federal government, advocates said, after Tuesday’s narrow rejection of same-sex marriage by Maine voters. The Democrat-controlled legislature in New Jersey, which currently recognizes same-sex couples in civil unions, is under pressure to pass a bill authorizing gay marriage before Gov. Jon Corzine ends his […]

From the Dallas Voice: FORT WORTH — The disciplinary actions handed down to three Fort Worth police officers for their part in the June 28 raid on the Rainbow Lounge were “absolutely inadequate,” according to Jon Nelson, spokesman for the LGBT community group formed in the wake of the raid. Two officers, including the sergeant […]

SOUTH BEND, Indiana — Joe Paolucci, who along with his twin sons and his partner, Thomas Hitchcock, have been banned from all Wal-Mart stores — not because they stole anything, but because they resisted being taken out of sight by store employees who falsely accused them of stealing. Apparently, one of the gay fathers went […]

Over 500,000 children in the United States are in foster care. More than 100,000 children await adoption. Despite this growing need, some states currently restrict gay adoption. This month, In the Life presents the introductory excerpt of the film “Preacher’s Sons” a provocative, real-life story that spans five years in the lives of two gay […]

On Wednesday night, “fag” was the word of the night on “South Park,” and GLAAD — the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — isn’t laughing. The November 4 episode featured rampant use of the anti-gay slurs “fag” and “faggot” as Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny attempted to drive a local biker gang out of […]

Gov. David A. Paterson said Thursday that he would include gay marriage on the agenda of an extraordinary session he is calling for Tuesday, potentially setting up the first vote on the issue in the State Senate and a dramatic floor debate, The New York Times reports. Paterson wants the Senate to give final legislative […]

CNN’s Anderson Cooper and his panel debate gay marriage and Tuesday’s loss at the ballot box in Maine. On Wednesday night’s the panel with Cooper: Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom To Marry, and gay rights opponent Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council. Said Wolfson of the Maine loss, “It’s very difficult for a […]

From WPIX-TV: One man was arrested – and two others are still being sought – in the beating and robbery of two men in Lakeview early Sunday morning, Nassau County police said. The two victims, one of whom was dressed up in drag for Halloween, were walking on Woodfield Road near Janos Ave. when they […]