Constitutional lawyers, actors union latest to oppose Calif. gay marriage ban
(Los Angeles, California) The Screen Actors Guild has come out against a proposed amendment to the California constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, while 59 noted constitutional lawyers have issued a statement denouncing arguments being used by supporters of the measure.
The list of 59 law professors includes Erwin Chemerinsky, the …
Effigies of Obama, Palin spark investigations
(Lexington, Kentucky) University of Kentucky authorities are investigating who hanged an effigy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama from a tree on campus.
College spokesman Carl Nathe said the effigy was found Wednesday morning. Police immediately took it down. A faculty member said he saw the effigy with a noose around …
Homophobia enters campaigns in two states
(Washington) Voters in two states are being deluged with robo-calls attempting to link Democratic candidates with same-sex marriage.
In South Carolina, the automated calls tell voters the message comes from the Alliance for the Advancement of Gays and Lesbians and that it is endorsing Democrat Mandy Powers Norrell for the state …
GOP in freefall
(Boston, Massachusetts) The Republican Party was the model of unity leaving its national convention barely two months ago. But no more.
Displaying a fracture that stands to become a clean break if John McCain loses the election next week, Republicans of all stripes and stature have broken with their party’s nominee …
Intensity grows as election looms
(Kissimmee, Florida) Fresh off a day defined by flash and cash, Barack Obama is targeting the tight states of Florida, Virginia and Missouri. A resilient John McCain aptly picks up his campaign in the Ohio town of Defiance, battling long odds to victory.
With five days until the election, the presidential …
Obama on track for electoral college majority
(Washington) Barack Obama has pulled ahead in enough states to win the 270 electoral votes he needs to gain the White House – and with states to spare – according to an Associated Press analysis that shows he is now moving beyond typical Democratic territory to challenge John McCain on …
Justices of the Peace ordered not to refuse gay marriages
(Hartford, Connecticut) Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has warned justices of the peace they cannot refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
City clerks will begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples beginning the week of Nov. 10, following a state Supreme Court ruling that Connecticut’s civil unions law failed to …
HIV Fear in Canada after dirty syringe scare
(High Prairie, Alberta) Up to 2,700 patients, including children, need to be tested for HIV and hepatitis because a handful of nurses in a northern Alberta hospital injected drugs with used syringes for nearly two decades.
Health officials said the risk of infection was low, but it was enough to put …
Columbus urges Ohio to pass gay anti-discrimination bill
(Columbus, Ohio) Columbus city council has passed a motion urging the Ohio legislature to pass a bill that would ban discrimination against gays, lesbians and trans people.
The legislation would bar discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It also would expand …
Calif. anti-gay ballot measure down to wire
(San Francisco, California) With polls showing a tight race less than a week before election day over a proposed ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, both sides are ramping up their campaigns.
The measure, known as Proposition 8, would overturn the state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages, by instead changing …
