SAN FRANCISCO — Mariela Castro-Espín, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro and niece to former Cuba President Fidel Castro, has stirred a firestorm of criticism with her controversial visit to the United States to speak at a conference hosted by the Latin American Studies Association.

The notoriously anti-gay group that bills itself as One Million Moms, but in reality has only about 47,000 supporters judging by its Facebook page, is now targeting Marvel and DC Comics over their announcements to introduce and marry gay characters in their mainstream comics.

CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Thursday afternoon gave an almost textbook example of how to tell a complete story when dealing with an anti-gay activist. Joining Baldwin was Tony Perkins, there to speak about his afternoon press conference opposing President Obama’s support for marriage equality. Perkins is certainly one of the loudest anti-gay activists in the country, and his voice was absolutely relevant to today’s discussion, surrounding his press conference. But he always needs to be put into context, since in front of mainstream audiences he plays a completely different character than the one he plays in front of supporters.

About the worst thing said about gay men, an allegation that is regularly dragged out by certain religious-right organizations, is that they molest children at rates vastly higher than their heterosexual counterparts. It is as devastating a charge as one can make in a country where jailed pedophiles, known in prison parlance as “short eyes,” are frequently murdered by self-righteous fellow inmates…

Dear Ms. Alveda King, you like to talk about the so-called sin of homosexuality, but let me remind you that the Bible also says something against bearing false witness. And between me and you, from one African-American to another, I would personally like to know just what constitutes you as a genuine leader in the black community? To my knowledge, no one has taken the initiative to ask you that question, so I would like to. Do you really think that your relationship to one of the greatest American leaders of the 20th century makes you a leader?

A federal judge in Oakland, Calif., ruled late Thursday that a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), is unconstitutional to the extent that it limits same-sex spouses of state workers in obtaining the insurance.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In another historical moment in the post-“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era, the the U.S. Air Force Academy this week graduated its first group of openly gay cadets.

DALLAS — The Dallas Morning News on Thursday weighed in on ExxonMobil’s 13-year refusal to add workplace protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

DUMMERSTON, Vt. — A Japanese national living in the U.S. on an expired visa with her American wife, was informed Tuesday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that agency officials had decided to defer action on deportation proceedings against her.

BALTIMORE – A new Public Policy Poll of Maryland voters shows a decisive majority (57 percent) would vote in favor of same-sex marriage if it’s on the ballot this fall, while 37 percent would vote against.

In an episode of “Building on the American Heritage Series” entitled “Politics In The Pulpit,” David Barton makes the point that the purpose of the church is not to create harmony or unity among the congregants, but to preach the word of God’s and support God’s laws.

Strong public support for same-sex marriage exceeds strong opposition by a significant margin for the first time, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Kuwaiti media organizations report that almost 150 people were arrested over the weekend for “immoral” behavior, including four gay men and two transgender women.

While Target created a firestorm in 2010 for donating to a conservative group backing an anti-gay, and unsuccessful, Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota, the retailer now is selling t-shirts to benefit the Family Equality Council, a group representing LGBT families. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said “if they’re looking to resonate with Americans, […]

WASHINGTON — The campaign to reelect President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden rolled out a new campaign effort Wednesday, targeting LGBTQ voters.

MADRID — A same-sex aquatic bird couple in Spain has been allowed to adopt an egg to nurture. Inca and Rayas, a pair of Gentoo penguins at Madrid’s Faunia Park Zoo, are delighted to finally have been given the chance to enjoy “parenthood,” according to zoo keepers.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — After spending the better part of the last two years fighting backlash from the LGBT community over its political donations to anti-gay candidates, retailer Target Corp. announced it is launching a pride promotion for the month of June.

Jim Parsons, the Emmy Amward-winning star of the CBS’ sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” has confirmed publicly for the first time that he is gay and in a long-term relationship.

Gen. Colin Powell, a former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that he supports marriage equality for same-sex couples, at either the state or federal level.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday indicated that voters are relatively unaffected by President Barack Obama’s support for marriage equality, and that there is growing support for marriage equality in key constituencies – including among Republicans.