Tag Archives: LGBT rights

Moments ago the Wisconsin state Supreme Court ruled unanimously to uphold the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. In a 7-0 ruling, the court on Wednesday ruled that the 2006 constitutional amendment was properly put to voters in a statewide referendum. The court rejected a lawsuit that claimed the amendment violated a rule that limits referendum questions to a single subject. …

Australia’s new prime minister Julia Gillard says she’s against same-sex marriage. Labor policy on gay marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership, Ms Gillard told Austereo show today. “We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken …

“Big things are changing for gay Americans. The President signed federal Hates Crimes legislation, directed new hospital visitation rights; spoke out during the State of the Union and the fought for an end to the ban on gays in the military. In addition, federal agencies are working hard behind the scenes and making huge differences for elder care and queer …

Many more amazing photos can be found here. (Tipped by JMG reader Umit)

The Tennessee Highway Patrol had to be called to a DMV office after a newly-married lesbian refused to return her just-issued driver’s license when employees told her they had mistakenly granted her name change request. Traci Turpin of Knoxville married her female partner in Washington DC on Tuesday. Gay marriage is legal in the District of Columbia. “We had a …

Five activists were arrested today at small gay pride rally staged in St. Petersburg, Russia. About two dozen gay and lesbian activists gathered in the tourist-packed courtyard of one of the world’s most famous museums, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, carrying banners and chanting “Homophobia is the country’s shame.” One of the organisers, Maria Efremenkova, said the Russian …

“I would like to propose to the entire worldwide gay community that they cancel gay pride events until we have marriage equality. All those thousands of people who go to gay pride, those are bodies that could put on a shirt and go into the neighborhood and tell their story. We should wait until we have equality to have our …

Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that there is no inherent right to same-sex marriage. The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected an appeal by two Austrian men who said their country’s refusal to allow same-sex marriage violated the right to marry and prohibition of discrimination in European rights law. The ECHR is part of the Council …

The NYCLU has begun a campaign to relaunch the fight for marriage equality in New York. All New Yorkers deserve the freedom to marry. New Yorkers across the state and political spectrum agree, and so does the State Assembly and Governor Paterson. Sadly, at the end of 2009, the New York State Senate voted against marriage fairness. Though the vote …

Hawaiian activists are asking for your help in a snail mail campaign to convince Gov. Linda Lingle not to veto the state’s pending civil unions bill. Lingle has deluged with letters from our enemies, so let’s send her some positive messages of our own. Two suggested lines for your letter: “We are from _____ and we would sure love to …

The Family Research Council is calling on all Christians to fall to their knees on the Fourth of July and beg God’s forgiveness for our Muslim/Kenyan/socialist president and his “agenda of perversion” regarding LGBT rights (among other things.) We are a broken nation full of broken people who have broken God’s laws and God’s heart. Consequently, in these difficult days, …

Duncan Osbourne of Gay City News has uncovered some troubling history from Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. From Osbourne’s blog, Herd & Scene: Despite knowing that religious freedom laws could invalidate state and local anti-discrimination statutes that protect bisexual, lesbian, transgender, and gay taxpayers, Elena Kagan, a nominee to the US Supreme Court, championed such laws in her later years …

Federal employees will soon be allowed to take medical leave to care for the kids of their same-sex partners. The policy will be set forth in a ruling to be issued Wednesday by the Labor Department’s wage and hour division, the officials said. Under a 1993 law, people who work for a company with 50 or more employees are generally …

Ten year-old Will Phillips, who made national news last year when he refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance until LGBT people have full equality, will be the Grand Marshal of Northwest Arkansas Pride. “It’s wrong for anyone to be treated differently just because of the way they are born,” said Phillips, who declares himself as an ambassador for …

Openly gay New York state Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell today introduced legislation that would allow legally married gay couples to jointly file their state income tax returns. Via press release: If enacted, New York State would recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions regardless of whether the federal government does so. Specifically, A.11479 creates an exception to the statutory rule …

Even if the defense appropriations bill to which the repeal of DADT is attached makes it through the Senate, the president may veto it over certain spending provisions to which he is opposed. Yesterday Robert Gates repeated the veto threat to Fox News. Robert Gates, speaking on Fox News Sunday, said the president was against any move by Congress to …

The teabagger-influenced 2010 platform for the Texas GOP calls for making it a felony to perform a same-sex marriage. “We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy. We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a …

According to Hawaii’s anti-gay Lt. Gov. James Aiona, his boss is going to put the state’s pending civil unions bill on the potential veto list on Monday. Aiona said that does not mean the governor will veto the bill that would give all the rights of marriage under Hawaii law to same sex and heterosexual couples. “It will be a …

Gay rights? In Oklahoma? Get out of here! Champagne corks popped at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center on Thursday night after the City Council voted to add sexual orientation to Tulsa’s nondiscrimination policy. Oklahomans for Equality members cheered and jeered at a rally as they watched councilors discuss the issue and their votes on a large-screen TV at the …