Lawyers and congressional aides trying to overturn America’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy have heard from an Australian sailor about how gay and lesbian defence force members were allowed to serve openly. Chief Petty Office Stuart O’Brien, currently based at HMAS Kuttabul in Potts Point, was invited to give an address on the Australian military’s experience of gay inclusion at Georgetown University’s law school in Washington DC last month and attend the annual dinner for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which fights the gay ban. A number of retired US officers are hoping the Australian evidence will help ...

KINGSTON - First pitched on the Internet as a planned nudist colony for gays and lesbians, the Web site for the proposed Rosebud Lodge near here had changed drastically by this morning. Earlier, the lodge was touting itself as a private resort for the "GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) Community." A collage of smiling same-sex couples was prominently featured. Now, the Rosebud Lodge Web site - www.rosebudlodge.com - merely describes itself as a private resort for adults over 18 that's "a dream in the making." Numerous Roane County residents are up in arms over the original description even ...

In regards to the news that New York state will continue to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed in other states, Focus on the Family's Bruce Hausknecht has a few thoughts. Unfortunately, "YAY! Fairness prevails! Mazel tov, gays!" is not the theme of his reaction: “Inexplicably, the high court is letting stand a ruling that says that New York essentially has no public policy regarding same-sex 'marriages' performed elsewhere,” he said. “It's ridiculous legal reasoning to insist that a state could recognize a type of ‘marriage’ from outside that it will not permit within the state. Yet that's ...

Wahoo! I talked with someone last night who had gone to the very successful rally in Harrisburg against the proposed PA Senate Bill 1250, the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment. SB 1250 would not only enshrine discrimination in terms of equal marriage rights against same sex couples into Pennsylvania's constitution, but it would also bar civil unions from ever being recognized, which about 2/3 of Pennsylvanians support, according to a recent survey. (And attention any straight readers of this blog: if you are that afraid that you might mistakenly marry someone of your own gender, I can write you an excuse ...

Our pals at the Empire State Pride Agenda have just handed us some fab news that we think you'll enjoy. You know that decision from a few months back that said same-sex couples who were married elsewhere have a right to have those unions recognized in New York? Well, the New York State Court of Appeals has decided to NOT hear a case challenging that recognition. Below is a statement from ESPA's Alan Van Capelle: Yet another development we can file under "Victories That Heterosexual Couples Could Never Fathom as Being ...

We always knew kids cost money, but we had no idea! With more and more same-sex couples finding and impregnating surrogates, fertility clinics and the such are simply raking it in, as revealed in an AFP article today: An ever-growing number of gay couples are paying tens of thousands of dollars to have surrogate mothers carry their babies, turning America’s concept of traditional family on its head. … To fulfill their dream of parenthood, [many couples] to Circle Surrogacy, a company that helps people find egg donors and host mothers and navigate through the legal and medical insurance process. “It is a very ...

In December, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd promised not to interfere with state and territory legislation… This week however, that promise is out the window and his love fest with Australian gays during his election campaign is also a thing of the past. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government made a statement this week regarding this [...] ...

Just a heads up: Tonight is the night that the CW's "Gossip Girl" will reveal that one of its characters (rumored to be Serena's brother Eric) is a 'mosexual: What2Watch: Gossip Girl: It's A Hit, Trust Us [Film.com] To stay competitive with the same demographic, we hear that CBS will tonight retitle their offerings: "How I Met Your Mother (and her Partner Pam), "The Big Bang of Theo and Ry" "Two Men Send The Half To The Movies So They Can Schtup" "The Rules of Engagement Unfortunately Don't Yet Apply To Same-Sex Couples" and "CSI: Chelsea" Set your Tivos. ...

Lambda Legal issued the following statement today from Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director at Lambda Legal on the passing of Mildred Loving: "Mrs. Loving and her husband are a testament to the power of standing up for equality and fairness. Love always wins over hate and bigotry in the end --- though the road to justice can be long.   Last year on the 40th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision Mrs. Loving bravely stepped forward to include marriage equality for same-sex couples as part of her vision of equality. We are grateful for her leadership. Our thoughts are ...

Headline that greeted me this morning... Christians welcome Australian backdown on gay civil unions Same sex couples in the Australian Capital Territory thought they were going to be treated like human beings soon.  Hahahahaha.... Australian Christian groups Monday welcomed a decision by a local territory government to abandon its plans to legalise same-sex civil unions after intervention from [...] ...

Despite governmental disapproval, an Australian Anglican school’s council approves of a ban on same-sex couples at an end-of-the-year dance. [QLP] ...

As this morning’s Washington Times reports, right wing activists are attacking ‘Dear Abby,’ the world’s most widely-read advice columnist, for having the audacity to suggest that, among other things, parents should love their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children. One conservative activist tells the Times that Abby “is a disciple of the sexual revolution,” and offers up “radical advice.” That “radical advice,” of course, includes suggesting that same-sex couples should enjoy the same rights as their heterosexual neighbors, and that LGBT kids should be loved just as much as anyone else.  What could be more pro-family, after all, ...

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) — In California, New York and Connecticut, the issue of whether same-sex couples can be married or merely joined in a civil union has shown up in the courts again. Even in states where civil unions afford gays and lesbians all the legal and civil rights as married heterosexual couples, [...] ...

The diocese of Saskatoon, at its biennial synod held April 4-6, narrowly defeated a resolution that would have allowed clergy to bless same-sex civil marriages. The vote was 41 against, 38 for and four abstentions, said Lorea Eufemia, secretary/treasurer of the diocese. Moved by Canon Colin Clay and seconded by Cathy Hartsook, the resolution said: “Be it resolved that this 68th Session of the Synod of the Diocese of Saskatoon request the bishop to allow clergy, whose conscience permits, to bless the duly solemnized and registered civil marriages between same-sex couples, where at least one party is baptized, and ...

Australia will remove almost 100 discriminatory laws preventing gay couples from sharing financial and social entitlements enjoyed by married and defacto couples, such as superannuation and pension death benefits.  But the legislative overhaul, to occur when the Labor government sits for its first budget session in May, will not change marriage laws to include gay marriages. "The government believes that marriage is between a man and a woman so it won't amend the marriage act," Attorney-General Robert McClelland said on Wednesday in announcing the changes. "But in all other areas that we've identified, the issue of discrimination against same-sex ...

The spin doctors are in! Newsweek’s Lisa Miller recently wrote on a gay couple’s lawsuit against dating site eHarmony, which prohibits same-sex couples. The site claims that they haven’t calibrated themselves for the queers and, thus, cannot accommodate our allegedly unique dating styles. They also justify their discrimination by saying they’re marriage oriented and, since gays can’t marry, they’re just following the law of the land. We’ve always doubted their arguments, but Miller falls for it hook, line and stinker! Consider this confounding statement: “eHarmony does not reject gays—it simply doesn’t accept them: the only choices on the site ...

Last August, we briefly told you about Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, an out lesbian, being rebuked by the United States Presbyterian Church for presiding over same-sex unions. Well we're happy to announced that yesterday, a church court decided that Spahr didn't actually violate church policy because same-sex marriages aren't a recognized concept within the church. So wait, why are we saying that we're happy if the church, which doesn't specifically prohibit same-sex unions, used our relationship non-recognition as a basis for reconsideration? Well, they didn't completely. In a somewhat contradictory opinion, the ruling also upheld the right for same-sex ...

Same-sex couples will continue to be denied marriage, adoption rights and IVF despite the government's decision to remove discrimination against gays in a range of commonwealth laws. The government will introduce legislation to parliament next month to amend more than 100 areas of commonwealth law including superannuation, taxation, social security and health care. The changes, which are yet to be costed, will also ensure children are not disadvantaged because of the structure of their family. Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the "long-overdue" reforms would legally recognise same-sex couples in a de facto relationship but not recognise same-sex marriage.  No ...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will remove almost 100 discriminatory laws preventing gay couples from sharing financial and social entitlements enjoyed by married and defacto couples, such as superannuation and pension death benefits. The changed laws will affect all areas where Gays are discriminated against including taxes, social security, health care, estate and employment benefits and children who are part of non-traditional families. The only “law” not effected by the anti-discrimination measures is the sanctity of marriage. The government still believes that marriage is between one man and one woman. That is not being taken lightly by the Australian Coalition for Equality. “Until there’s full equality in Australian law, ...

Thomas More would be pleased:The Bishop of Nottingham Malcolm McMahon says his diocese will cut its ties with an adoption agency because it cannot accept the government's new laws on homosexual rights. Bishop Malcolm McMahon said he and the trustees of the Catholic Children's Society adoption agency felt that they had been forced into the decision by the Sexual Orientation Regulations which bans discrimination against gays in the provision of goods and services. The law would compel the diocese in certain circumstances to place children in the care of same-sex couples. "We have been coerced into this, I am not happy ...