News (USA)

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLU) has announced that it will represent a transgender woman who was denied a name change by an Oklahoma judge who told her “you can’t change what God gave you.”

PHILADELPHIA — A street naming dedication ceremony for Barbara Gittings Way — named for the LGBT civil rights pioneer — was held Monday in the heart of Philadelphia’s gay neighborhood at the intersection of Locust and 13th Streets.

Matt Birk, the Baltimore Ravens center (and former Minnesota Viking), is the latest NFL player to enter the debate on marriage equality, and has penned an op-ed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune opposing same-sex marriage.

Just two days after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill banning psychological therapy aimed at turning gay and lesbian youth straight — often referred to as reparative therapy — the anti-gay organization Liberty Counsel announced Monday it is preparing a lawsuit aimed at preventing the law from taking effect.

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied another request from an anti-gay group challenging financial disclosure laws in Maine that require the organization to reveal who donated to the 2009 marriage ballot initiative campaign.

On its first official day of the 2012-13 session, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday did not include the Proposition 8 case on the list of cases it would or would not review.

This week’s presidential debate could mark the first opportunity for President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to face off on marriage in a race in which LGBT issues have figured less prominently than previous elections.

SAN FRANCISCO — California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday made history by signing a landmark legislation banning psychological therapy aimed at turning gay and lesbian youth straight — often referred to as reparative therapy.

Perhaps the most historic U.S. Supreme Court session ever for the LGBT community gets underway officially October 1, with a record nine gay-related cases seeking review, all involving same-sex marriage.

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A former Chick-fil-A employee is speaking out, and says that the fast food chain “is a safe place for people to go in and hate, and they expect to get patted on the back for it.”