Roberta Kaplan

“We should have the right to celebrate our anniversary in any establishment we choose, and we should hold hands without fear of being humiliated.”

The judge ruled for the couples who had sued, saying the ban is unconstitutional after recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage and benefits for gay couples.

JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge heard five hours of arguments Wednesday about whether to overturn Mississippi’s ban on same-sex marriage, and he pressed attorneys to say whether the state’s interests outweigh those of gay or lesbian couples who want the same legal rights as straight couples.

JACKSON, Miss. — A federal lawsuit has been filed challenging Mississippi’s ban on same-sex marriage. The challenge was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson on behalf of two same-sex couples and the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE).

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have hired the attorney who investigated the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal and another who played a prominent role in the fight for marriage equality to help in settlement talks with former punter Chris Kluwe. Ted Wells, whose investigation in Miami found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent …

NEW YORK — The Logo network next month will launch what it hopes will become an annual televised event saluting pioneers in the gay rights movement, with the woman who challenged the federal Defense of Marriage act as the first honoree.

BALTIMORE — Two women involved in a case challenging the federal government’s recognition of same-sex marriages that went to the Supreme Court are among the people receiving honorary degrees from Johns Hopkins University at commencement next month.

To say there’s been a flurry of discussion around the release of a new book Tuesday on the legal case that challenged California’s Proposition 8 would be an understatement. The book, “Forcing the Spring,” by The New York Times writer Jo Becker, has been thoroughly pilloried by many plugged-in LGBT activists and journalists this week, both publicly and privately.

SALT LAKE CITY — A federal appeals court says it will not allow an attorney representing three same-sex Utah couples to take part in an upcoming hearing on the state’s gay marriage ban.