LGBT News

Over the loud objections of the Orthodox Church and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party, the Greek Parliament just approved same-sex civil unions by a wide margin. Earlier this month an Orthodox bishop called on his followers to literally spit on any lawmaker who votes in favor of civil unions, saying, “Deprecate them! Vote against them! They are not human! They …

NBC News reports: Not long after the U.S. military repealed its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen [on the right in the above photo] married her longtime partner, becoming one of the first American service members to be wed in a same-sex ceremony. On Monday, nearly five years to the day after the repeal was signed …

This was a big winner at film festivals earlier this year. Clip recap: Evan Todd (“Switched at Birth”) stars as Adam, a small-town, blue-collar mechanic who likes beer and hockey but surprises his buddies when he tells them he’s gay. Well meaning but perhaps fated to trip over themselves, hilarity ensues when said buddies all try to help Adam find …

Suck it, haters! Via the Associated Press: Backers of a proposed ballot initiative that sought to require transgender people to use the public restrooms that correspond with their biological sex say they have failed to qualify the measure for the California ballot. Monday was the deadline for the initiative’s sponsors to submit voter signatures to county election offices for verification. …

In her cover story interview with TIME Magazine, Adele looks forward to meeting her toddler son’s future girlfriend OR boyfriend. From the interview: Releasing the biggest album of the year comes along with a demanding promotional schedule, but Adele says having her son Angelo, 3, along for the ride actually helped. “The other day I was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m …

Radio Free Asia reports: A gay man in the central Chinese province of Hunan has filed a lawsuit against the government for refusing his application to marry his male partner, in a move that has been hailed as a major test case for LGBT rights in the country, his lawyer told RFA on Monday. Sun Wenlin, 26, filed the complaint …

The Associated Press reports: The nation’s three-decade-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men was formally lifted Monday, but major restrictions will continue to limit who can donate. The Food and Drug Administration said it is replacing the lifetime ban with a new policy barring donations from men who have had sex with a man in the previous …

Lost in all the hoopla about Steve Harvey’s big “oops” moment last night is that Miss Austria dressed as drag performer and Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst during the national costume portion of the Miss Universe pageant. Austria’s The Local reports: While not the bookies’ favourite, Amina Dagi has captured global attention with her witty and elegant rendition of Austria’s national …

Last month lawyers for five children of gay parents sued the Austrian government, saying that the children were being stigmatized because their parents could not marry. Today the Administrative Court in Vienna ruled against the children, saying in part that children of unwed parents no longer face much social criticism. The lawsuit was not supported by HOSI Wien, Austria’s main …

On Friday the Romanian Parliament resoundingly defeated a civil unions bill put forward by Green Party president and 2009 presidential candidate Remus Cernea [INSET].  In 2013 Cernea introduced a similar bill, spurring a denouncement by the Orthodox Archbishop of Tomis, who said that Cernea is controlled by Satan. Cernea’s latest attempt failed after an MP suggested that civil unions would …

Via Pew Research: Acceptance of homosexuality is rising across the broad spectrum of American Christianity, including among members of churches that strongly oppose homosexual relationships as sinful, according to an extensive Pew Research Center survey of U.S. religious beliefs and practices. Amid a changing religious landscape that has seen a declining percentage of Americans who identify as Christian, a majority …

According to a press release issued today by Maggie Gallagher, six GOP presidential candidates have signed a pledge to sign the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) into law within the first 100 days of their administration. FADA would bar the federal government from acting against anyone who discriminates against LGBT Americans in the guise of “religious liberty.” The pledge was …

The jury forewoman and other jurors in Kathryn Knott’s gay-bashing trial say that they saw right through her lies. Philly.com reports: Three jurors spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. They all expressed sympathy for the victims — Zachary Hesse, 29, and his boyfriend, Andrew Haught, 28. Joan Bellinger, 67, the jury forewoman, said the jurors all believed Knott punched Hesse …

Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: We hope that Martin Shkreli’s departure will mark the end of Turing Pharmaceuticals’ reckless price hikes on life-saving medications,” said Olivia Alair Dalton, HRC’s Senior Vice President for Communications and Marketing. “Turing’s interim CEO Ron Tilles should immediately roll back the company’s unconscionable 5,000 percent price hike on Daraprim, a crucial treatment …

And the hits just keep coming! From the SPLC: New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. granted a permanent injunction today after an agreement by both parties requiring JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing) to shut down entirely and prohibiting founder Arthur Goldberg [PHOTO] and counselor Alan Downing from engaging in any form of conversion therapy commerce …

After three days of deliberations a Philadelphia jury today found Kathryn Knott guilty in the brutal September 2014 attack on a gay couple. The jury found Knott guilty of simple assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, and conspiracy. She was found not guilty of aggravated assault. Story developing…. UPDATE: Philly.com reports: A Philadelphia jury Friday found Kathryn Knott guilty of …

By a vote of 71-24, India’s Parliament today rejected a bill to decriminalize homosexual acts. The Hindustan Times reports: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s private member’s bill to decriminalise gay sex was rejected in the Lok Sabha on Friday, with the former minister saying it was “surprising to see such intolerance”. Tharoor had proposed to amend Section 377 of the Indian …

This is pretty major. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: Hillary Clinton unveiled on Thursday her comprehensive policy platform aimed at continuing advancements in LGBT rights. The Democratic presidential front-runner said in a statement her proposal would build off the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling this year in favor of same-sex marriage. But the document announces a few new initiatives, …

Via the Philly Voice: The jury in the assault trial of Kathryn Knott on Friday will deliberate a third day as it works to reach a verdict. Judge Roxanne Covington honored the jury’s request for dismissal around 4:20 p.m. Thursday, the second full day of deliberations following four days of testimony. Not long after beginning its second day of deliberations, …

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation today announced that it has placed full-page anti-PrEP ads in gay newspapers all over the country. The full ad is below. They write: A new advocacy ad by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) takes aim at the failure of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the use of Gilead Sciences’ AIDS treatment Truvada to prevent HIV transmission in uninfected …