Liberal Democrats party leader Nick Clegg MP in an article published today says, "although civil partnerships have been a step forward, until same sex marriage is permitted it is impossible to claim gay and straight couples are treated equally". ...

Rep. Sally Kern of Oklahoma, who has called being gay a "deadly lifestyle", has released what she calls a "Proclamation for Morality", which reads more like a manifesto against homosexuality. Kern, who apparently is unfamiliar with the fact that the United States was founded on the principle of separation of church and State, consistently uses religion as a basis for her arguments. The New Civil Rights Movement published Kern's "proclamation", in which she says gay marriage is a form of "debauchery" like "abortion, pornography, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, and child abuse." She blames the bad state ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island seems almost certain to remain the only New England state that does not recognize gay marriage after measures legalizing same-sex unions stalled just before the part-time General Assembly ended the bulk of its annual work.None of the bills legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island advanced to a floor vote this session, continuing a trend begun in 1997.The lack of State House action on gay unions means that Rhode Island is unlikely to allow same-sex marriage anytime soon, despite decisions this year by lawmakers in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont to join Connecticut and Massachusetts in ...

"That's great, it starts with an earthquake, Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes - Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn, world serves its own needs, satisfy your own greed." — It's The End Of The World As We Know It, R.E.M. The world ended in New York State on May 26, 2009. Or it least it should have. The AFA and the FOF and the NOM and all of those right-wingy, cover-your-thingy, religiopolitical fundamentalist orgs had long worried about the fabric of society suddenly disintegrating if ever a same-sex marriage occurred in a state where it was ...

So Wednesday we saw New Labour's gay enabler's (Stonewall to you and me) true colours, as we saw they preferred to be uncontroversial rather than continue to fight for the rights of the gay people they pretend to represent. Now New Labour's gay big hitters have come out throwing insults at the Tories and their homophobic record. Well I'm no fan of the Tories. You couldn't get me to vote Tory for love nor money (alright, a night with Spartan off Gladiators might cut it...). I think their history on homosexuality is appalling. However, it makes me sick ...

Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern who once suggested "gays are worse than terrorism" is back to demonizing gays again. In an unusually public ceremony, Rep. Kern signed a “Proclamation for Morality,” which blames the U.S.’s current economic crisis on, among other acts of “debauchery,” same-sex marriage. Part of her proclamation reads:WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis; andWHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; andWHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of ...

When Gov. David A. Paterson accepted an invitation to be a grand marshal in New York City’s gay pride parade this year, he had high expectations that he would march down Fifth Avenue as the first governor in state history to have signed a law allowing gay couples to marry. But the hopes of Mr. Paterson and gay rights advocates who have been pushing for same-sex marriage have collided with a political maelstrom in Albany. Like every other major public-policy issue before the State Legislature — from local sales taxes to control of New York City’s school ...

ast month Texas Lyceum, a non-partisan, business-oriented group, released one of its periodic polls on current issues, and the results for the most part were what one would expect in a conservative state. By margins of about 2-to-1, Texas opposed any further bailouts for automakers or banks. An even bigger margin – including a majority of whites, blacks and Hispanics – supported the concept of a voter ID requirement. But on one issue, the poll did raise some eyebrows. According to the survey, a majority of Texans would permit some form of same-sex union to be recognized: 25 percent ...

No sane person with a life really wants to be a political activist. When activism is exciting, it tends to involve the risk of bodily harm or incarceration, and when it’s safe, it is often tedious, dry, and boring. – Miriam “Starhawk” Simos A great deal has been going on in the LGBT world as of late. Same sex marriage spreads to even more New England states, a hate crimes bill is working it’s way through congress, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is entering the realm of public debate again, possible new census rules that would count same-sex relationships arise, and the ...

Following yesterday's news that New York's nightlife local HX was sold to an undisclosed buyer, another casualty: the New York Blade has now suspended publication: "The Blade, a biweekly paper with a free circulation of 22,000, was left with an uncertain future. 'It doesn’t have an issue scheduled until a week from Friday.' [CEO Matthew] Bank said. 'There are a lot of things that can happen between now and then.' The decision to suspend publication comes at a particularly active period for journalism concerned with gay issues: the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the gay pride parade on Sunday, ...

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. You're listening to These Days on KPBS. Candidate Barack Obama said several things gay and lesbian voters were very happy to hear. While he never lent his support for gay marriage, Obama said he was against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military and that he would sign legislation repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. So, many gay people were enthusiastic supporters of Barack Obama's campaign, and when he became president they waited for him to make good on his promises. They are still waiting. And while they wait, some in the ...

Pitt County Board of Commissioners Protest for Gay Rights"We believe in separation of Church and State" Host: Randy Allen Toler Type: Causes - Protest Network: Global Date: Monday, July 13, 2009 Time: 9:00am - 11:00am Location: City Hall City/Town: Greenville, NC Phone: 2523677125 Email: rat0917@ecu.edu DescriptionOn Monday, June 29th 2009 at a meeting of the Pitt County Board of Commissioners, the Rev. David Hammond (District 1 - Greenville) urged fellow Board members to adopt a resolution opposing same-sex marriage. If passed, the issue could go to voters in November. Rev. Hammond has begun vigorously drumming up anti-LGBT support and it is our duty to show the ...

In Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal lawsuit by Ted Olson and David Boies to overturn Proposition 8, the judge has decided against placing a hold on Prop 8 and instead is opting for a swift consideration. This is the position that was requested by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Atty. Gen. Brown; they felt that placing a hold would lend to confusion for all parties. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle reveals that Olson and Boies will be relying on the precident set by Romer v. Evans in which the US Supreme Court determined that states cannot deny rights to gay people ...

In a surprise development late Tuesday, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker told opposing attorneys in a federal challenge to California’s same-sex marriage ban that he wants to hold off on a requested preliminary injunction and get ready to begin the trial.Judge Walker had been scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning on the request by attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies, who are representing two-same sex couples who have been denied marriage licenses in California, for a preliminary injunction that would put Prop 8 on hold. After the state Supreme Court ruled in early 2008 that the state ...

Wisconsin's Domestic Partnership law, which was recently approved as part of a state budget and this week signed by Governor Jim Doyle, will likely make August a busy month for county clerks, Madison's Capital Times reports: "[August 3 is] the day same-sex couples across the state, including an estimated 1,400 to 2,400 couples living in Dane County, will be able to take advantage of a historic piece of legislation signed Monday by Gov. Jim Doyle that for the first time recognizes domestic partnerships across the state. Along with the recognition come dozens of legal protections that previously were only granted to married couples, ...

This bit in a Washington Post article about the challenges the Obama administration faces because of "ideologixal diversity" among Democrats spells it out pretty clearly: "Maintaining a sense of common interest across the party is a paramount goal. Early on, administration officials and Democratic leaders agreed they would steer clear of controversial social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. And to the discontent of many liberal Democrats, Congress intends to remain generally silent on those fronts. 'They know the consequences of '94. It looms,' White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said of the legislative debacles in President Bill Clinton's early tenure that ...

A federal judge hearing the Olson-Boies challenge to California's Proposition 8 indicated he's unlikely to issue an injunction that would have allowed same-sex couple to immediately begin marrying again, but also indicated he's eager to expedite the case: "In his first response to the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said the case raises numerous issues that may need to be considered at a trial, including the history of discrimination against gays and lesbians and the intent and effects of the state constitutional amendment...Olson and Boies asked Walker to issue an injunction at a Thursday hearing ...

Credit goes to Steph Lee of API Wellness for linking me to this video. During this past Pride weekend, the famous Pride Parade was halted for an extended amount of time (approximately one to two hours). According to the Fog City Journal, the hold up was caused by several LBGT activists protesting Gavin Newsom's recent cuts to HIV/AIDS services. Chanting the phrase "Newsom's cuts are killing us!", the protesters demonstrated a die-in before Newsom's parade car. As shown through the attached video, a die-in is a peaceful method of protest where individuals feign death. Oddly enough, a large chunk ...

Judge likely won't grant Prop. 8 injunctionA federal judge in San Francisco said Tuesday that he is disinclined to suspend California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage while a lawsuit challenging it as a violation of the U.S. Constitution proceeds in his court.In a tentative order, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said he'd rather move directly to a speedy trial on the case's merits than grant a preliminary injunction that would temporarily allow gay nuptials. see http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/30/state/n150147D61.DTL ...

A federal judge wants a trial on California's same-sex marriage ban to proceed quickly but says he likely won't suspend the voter-approved ban in the meantime. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said holding a speedy trial on the merits of a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 would avoid novel issues that might be raised if he issued a temporary injunction. See Judge favors trial soon on Calif. gay marriage ban ...