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Bridal shop won’t serve lesbian couples because it ‘would break God’s law’
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — A bridal store’s refusal to sell wedding gowns to a same-sex couple is stirring debate in a central Pennsylvania town. The Press Enterprise reports two women — who wish to remain anonymous — tried to schedule an appointment at W.W. Bridal Boutique in Bloomsburg, Pa., but were turned down after the shop owner learned they were a lesbian couple…
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State regulators say Denver gay bar discriminated against man in drag
DENVER — Colorado regulators say a Denver gay bar discriminated against a man when a bouncer denied him entry last year because he was dressed in drag. The civil rights division of the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies has ordered the Denver Wrangler to resolve the dispute with Vito Marzano, a gay man who was wearing a dress and wig…
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Catholic Church fires music director over plans to marry same-sex partner
INVERNESS, Ill. — The longtime music director at a suburban Chicago Roman Catholic church says he was fired after posting on social media plans to marry his same-sex partner. Colin Collette says his partner proposed to him last week in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. After leading the music on Sunday …
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Gay children’s home worker fired for ‘lifestyle choices’
LUBBOCK, Texas — A Texas man has been fired from his job at the Children’s Home of Lubbock for his “lifestyle choices” after introducing kids to his fiancé during a day trip earlier this month. Casey Stegall, an openly gay human development and family studies major at Texas Tech University, says he “got fired just for me being who I am,” reports the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
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Exxon Mobil to follow new LGBT anti-bias rules for federal contractors
IRVING, Texas — Exxon Mobil Corp. says it will comply with new protections for gay and transgender employees required of federal contractors, but isn’t saying whether it will formalize that wording in its corporate policies. President Barack Obama signed the executive order with the new protections Monday.
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Obama grants workplace protections to LGBT workers of federal contractors
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday gave employment protection to gay and transgender workers in the federal government and its contracting agencies, after being convinced by advocates of what he called the “irrefutable rightness of your cause.” “America’s federal contracts should not subsidize discrimination against the American people…
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Colo. baker appeals order that he provide wedding cakes for gay couples
DENVER — A Lakewood, Colo., baker is appealing the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s order that he prepare wedding cakes for same-sex couples. Jack Phillips on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeals to reverse the May ruling by the Civil Rights Commission. Phillips was sued by a same-sex couple after he refused to make a cake to celebrate their wedding in 2012.
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Civil rights groups, lawmakers step up pressure on Obama over executive order
Dozens of civil rights organizations and a group of Democratic lawmakers have signed letters this week asking President Barack Obama not to exempt “religiously affiliated contractors” from a planned executive order protecting LGBT employees of federal contractors. The letters come as the debate over religious liberty intensifies in the wake of a recent …
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Same-sex dancers decry proposed UK ballroom ‘ban’
LONDON — It takes two to tango – but does a same-sex couple qualify? Britain’s governing body of ballroom dancing has stirred controversy by proposing to change the definition of a competing partnership to be “one man and one lady” – a move that equality advocates and same-sex dancers called discriminatory Friday. The world of competitive ballroom …
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Iraq war veteran alleges he was kicked out of taxi for kissing his boyfriend
TACOMA, Wash. — An Iraq war veteran says he and his boyfriend were kicked out of a Tacoma, Wash., taxi on July 4 after the couple exchanged a kiss.Eric Williams says he and his boyfriend Diego were in the cab for just a few minutes when they kissed — he describes it as “a peck” — prompting an objection by the cab driver…