Joe.My.God. LGBT News

Zack Ford has the story at Think Progress: After New Jersey passed its ban on ex-gay therapy for minors last year, two lawsuits were filed challenging the law, one by therapists wishing to continue to practice the harmful treatment and one by a family seeking to continue the treatment for their son. In November, a federal judge ruled against the …

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has personally officiated gay weddings, says the Court will definitely hear the same-sex marriage cases heading their way. Appeals courts in Denver and Richmond, Virginia, have upheld lower court rulings striking down state constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. Any of those cases could make their way to the Supreme Court in the coming …

Via the BBC: Uganda’s Constitutional Court has annulled tough anti-gay legislation signed into law in February. It ruled that the bill was passed by MPs in December without the requisite quorum and was therefore illegal. Homosexual acts were already illegal, but the new law allowed for life imprisonment for “aggravated homosexuality” and banned the “promotion of homosexuality”. Several donors have …

“Blissed-out pop” from Toronto. Like a crunchier early Blondie.

Brokered by the UN and Secretary Of State John Kerry: In a statement released in New Delhi where Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling, the U.S. and U.N. said they had gotten assurances that all parties to the conflict in Gaza had agreed to an unconditional cease-fire during which there would be negotiations on a more durable truce in …

Via the Associated Press: A gay Chinese man said Thursday he was suing a psychological clinic for carrying out electric shocks intended to turn him straight, as well as the search engine giant Baidu for advertising the center. The Beijing LGBT Center, which campaigns for gay rights, said it was the first court case involving so-called conversion therapy in China. …

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: The Seattle man who set fire to a popular Capitol Hill club during a New Year’s celebration was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison – twice as long as the term requested by prosecutors. Facing federal charges in the dangerous but non-injurious blaze, Musab Masmari admitted to starting a fire inside Neighbours Nightclub during the …

Uganda’s Constitutional Court is hearing a challenge to the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which calls for punishments up to life in prison for “crimes” such as “repeated homosexual acts.” The activists argue that the law was passed in parliament without the necessary quorum of lawmakers. The 10 petitioners – including two Ugandan rights organisations – also claim that the law violates the …

Early this month it was disclosed that the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis was investigating claims that scandal-plagued Archbishop John Nienstedt has had “inappropriate sexual relations” with priests, seminarians, and other men. Today the Minneapolis StarTribune asked him point blank: Nienstedt said he believed that the investigation involved five allegations of sexual impropriety, including from the time he served …