The Roman Catholic Church still regards homosexuality as an “insult to God” and homosexuals and transsexuals will never go to Heaven, a leading cardinal said on Wednesday, prompting a rebuke from the Vatican. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the retired head of the Vatican’s Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, made the comments Wednesday […]

Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed and Governor Chris Gregoire have made it official, certifying that voters adopted the “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law approved by the Legislature last spring. Referendum 71, placed on the ballot by foes of same-sex marriage, was approved by a margin of more than 110,000 votes, or more than […]

Uganda is likely to pass a bill criminalizing homosexuality in the east African nation and deal a blow to rights activists, but the act will have some changes to appease donors who fund about a third of the budget, reports Reuters. While Uganda has been lauded for its reforms and economic growth since 1986, rights […]

Utah’s first openly gay state senator will be resigning from office effective the end of this week to focus more time on practicing law, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Democratic state Sen. Scott McCoy, announced Tuesday that he had already decided that he wasn’t going to seek re-election when his term is up next year. […]

Voters in Georgia have elected the first openly lesbian African-American state legislator in the U.S. In a runoff election on Dec. 1, Simone Bell was elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives. Simone has worked for more than 20 years as an activist and advocate in Atlanta and throughout the south. She’s tackled issues […]

For seven years, actress Meredith Baxter has been hiding a secret. Now Baxter, who played the devoted hippie mom constantly butting heads with her conservative kids on “Family Ties,” is making a public admission. “I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition,” she told Matt Lauer on the TODAY show. “Some people would […]

ALBANY — The New York State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history, the New York Times reports. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David Paterson, is effectively dead for the year and dashes the optimism […]

CAMPBELL, Calif. –Sleepy, suburban Campbell’s City Council elected one of the youngest gay and youngest Asian American mayors in the country at a meeting Tuesday night, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The council promoted Evan Low, 26, from vice mayor to a one-year term as mayor of the 38,000-resident Silicon Valley city. “He’ll have his […]

VALLEJO, Calif. — Hundreds of people descended on Vallejo City Hall Tuesday night as members of the city’s gay and lesbian community gathered for an emotional rally to condemn recent controversial comments made by Mayor Osby Davis, reports KTVU-TV. Davis was recently quoted as saying gays and lesbians won’t be welcome in heaven. Judging from […]

The D.C. City Council on Tuesday voted 11-2 to give preliminary approval to a bill that would allow same-sex marriages to be performed in the city, reports DC Agenda. “It’s a day I never thought I would see and never thought I would have the privilege to participate in as a gay person,” said Council […]

On the eve of World AIDS Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, and other officials discuss the progress the Obama Administration has made in combating HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. November 30, 2009. Watch the official White House video:

A spokesperson for State Senator Dale Volker says the controversial same sex marriage bill could be voted on Tuesday in the senate, reports WGRZ-TV. The bill remains a priority of Governor David Paterson, who has pledged to sign it into law if it clears its final hurdle in the Senate. Whether Democrats have the votes […]

Til death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way. In a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California, reports AP. The 2010 […]

Latin America’s first same-sex marriage, set to be held in Argentina on Tuesday, appeared derailed after a judge filed a last-minute injunction to stop the union until the issue can be reviewed further, CNN reports. Judge Marta Gomez Alsina’s ruling blocks an earlier holding by another judge that found city laws banning same-sex marriage unconstitutional, […]

The effort to put gay marriage back on the California ballot in 2010 suffered a setback Monday, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Rick Jacbos, the leader of the 700,000-member Courage Campaign said that after spending more than $200,000 on “qualitative research” into the issue in California that “We do not see a path to victory.” […]

St. Louis Police are investigating an attack early Saturday outside a nightclub, and while police say it’s too soon to tell whether this will be categorized as a hate crime, the victims believe they were targeted because they’re gay, reports KSDK-TV. Jacob Piwowarczyk says, “I have a soft tissue bruise on my elbow. I have […]

The D.C. City Council drew national attention this week as it made final preparations for the first of two votes on a same-sex marriage bill Tuesday that observers say was expected to pass by a margin as wide as 11 to 2, reports DC Agenda. Council insiders said there was no surge in phone calls […]

Puerto Rican authorities have agreed to investigate Jorge Steven López Mercado’s murder as a hate crime after they met with local representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union.

A lawmaker in Mexico’s capital has proposed changing the city’s civil code to allow gay marriages. Mexico’s Roman Catholic Church opposes the proposal. The church defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as does current law. Lawmaker David Razu says the changes he is proposing would give same-sex couples the same […]

Mike Penner, the veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter who made international headlines in 2007 when he announced he was transsexual and began working under the byline “Christine Daniels,” has died. Colleagues said Saturday that Penner was found dead at his Los Angeles home and that suicide was the suspected cause of death. He was 52. […]